14
by Allen the Musician
Summary: He couldn't remember when he had given up his name in favor of a number... Couldn't remember when he had grown to ashamed to even call himself by the name that he had been given at birth... When did he come to define his existence in the form of a number
1. Awakening

Disclaimer - I do not own D Gray Man nor any of the wonderful characters.

**_14_**

**_The young man couldn't remember when he had given up his name in favor of a number...  
Couldn't remember when he had grown ashamed to call himself by his own name..._**

Chapter One - Awakening

"We're getting a new family member today!" a young girl squealed as she danced across the large room, twirling an umbrella that had a jack o lantern at the point. This particular umbrella was enchanted and it screamed it's protests at the treatment that it was currently enduring at the hands of the young girl. This was a regular occurrence but that didn't really make it any more pleasant for the umbrella.

"Road! Stop, Lero... I think I'm gonna be sick, Lero!"

"But aren't you excited Lero?" the girl named Road asked as she finally ceased her incessant spinning. Her strange golden eyes were shining and there was a broad smile on her face as she thought about what the Millennium Earl had told them that morning. She came to a stop in the center of the room and watched as the umbrella's eyes grew increasingly larger as it fought off a bout of nausea.

Road couldn't help but be excited, she'd had that feeling all day. Ever since Lord Millennium had told them that they would be gaining a new sibling today. The Millennium Earl had the unique ability to sense when someone from their Clan would be awakening and he had sensed a new one this morning.

It had been wonderful news and Road found herself hoping that this new sibling was fun.

"You know," a calm yet somewhat harsh sounding voice said from across the room. "You shouldn't be so excited. There's no guarantee that this newly awakened Noah will choose to side with us. There's always a chance that they will reject what Lord Millennium has to say."

"Oh Radwan, you're such a kill joy," Road said, her lips forming a slight pout as she turned to face the man who was standing at the far end of the room. This man was the member of their family who held the memory of Pleasure. The man was tall, with long black hair, and he was dressed in a black tuxedo, complete with top hat and looked almost as though he were going to some kind of fancy party. "Has that ever happened?"

Reaching back into the memories that he had gained when he had ascended to his Noah powers the black haired man searched for the answer to this question. Memories were inherited in their special family and so when you became a Noah you gained all of the memories of the ones that came before you. In Tyki's case he had all of the memories of those who had inherited the Memory of Pleasure.

"Not that I am aware of," Radwan was finally forced to admit. "But it can happen."

"It won't," Road said, her voice filled with certainty.

She knew that no one in their right mind would refuse the gift of being a member of the Clan of Noah and she couldn't wait to meet her new sibling. Hopefully they would be more fun than Radwan, who was self absorbed and took boring to a whole new level. After all this one had to be special; he was the fourteenth member born to a family that was supposed to have only thirteen members.

* * *

Isolated out in the English countryside a small house was positioned between two large trees. It was a modest affair, showing that the owners weren't well off, but the grounds were well taken care of and the place was neat and tidy. The outward appearance of the place was peaceful unfortunately on the inside peace was nothing more than a wish at this point. It hadn't been peaceful in this particular home for several hours.

Piercing screams could be heard coming from the back bedroom of the house and in this room a young boy, appearing to be around the age of fourteen, was lying on a bed. The boy was thrashing about as though he were in excruciating pain and every so often he would cry out. The kid was clutching his head with both hands and biting his bottom lip in an attempt to muffle his cries.

A second man, appearing to be around the age of eighteen, was standing at the boy's bedside. He had a concerned expression in his kind eyes as he gazed down at the younger boy, who was obviously suffering horribly from whatever was afflicting him.

"Nicholas," he called out, attempting to gain the attention of the young man and maybe distract him from the pain that he was currently experiencing. His eyes were clamped tightly shut, as though that would help block out the pain, but he managed to choke out, "What... is it... Mana?"

"I'm going to go and fetch a doctor," the man named Mana said, gently brushing back a lock of mahogany hair that had fallen in front of the younger man's eyes. The boy was drenched in sweat and that concerned him somewhat. "I really think that you need medical attention."

"No," the boy named Nicholas said, shaking his head ever so slightly. That wasn't a good idea, since it caused his head to throb even more, but he had to get his point across. "It's... just a headache. It'll pass... soon, I'm sure."

"But it's been going on for hours," Mana protested, hating the fact that his younger brother insisted on being so damn stubborn all the time.

"Which means that it can't possibly last much longer," Nicholas maintained, determined to win this argument. His head was still throbbing but the boy forced himself into a half upright position, using his elbow to maintain his shaky balance. "Trust me Mana, I'll be okay. Besides, it's not... as though we can afford to pay a doctor."

"I'll find the money," Mana said, not even the slightest bit concerned about how much a doctor would cost. It was true that they weren't well off but he wasn't willing to risk his brother's well being based solely on the fact that they were poor. He would find a way to pay a doctor if it would help his brother.

"No," Nicholas stated in a firm voice, effectively ending the subject. "But if you could find the spare change I would enjoy something from the bakery."

"Of course," Mana said, a small and somewhat forced smile appearing on his face. "I guess I can humor you since you're sick boy. I need to go to town for some supplies anyway but are you sure that you'll be alright if I leave you here alone?"

"I'm fourteen Mana," the boy said, rolling his eyes in his brother's direction. "I think I can handle it."

"Of course," Mana said with a sigh. "Well I'll be back in a couple of hours I suppose. You should probably try and get some rest."

"Right," Nicholas said, having already known that his brother would say that. His older brother had always been beyond protective and that had only increased, although Nicholas wasn't entirely sure how that was possible, when their parents had died.

That had been a few months ago and ever since then Mana had taken the protective older brother routine to a whole new extreme. Part of the boy was grateful that he had a brother who cared for him that much but another part of him was desperate for some independence. And at this given moment a third part, a part that was eclipsing everything, wanted his skull to stop trying to split open.

"Ugh," the boy moaned once he was certain that Mana had left the house. He had been trying to act like the pain was subsiding so as not to worry his brother but now that Mana was gone Nicholas gritted his teeth against the pain and allowed his body to fall back. He didn't have the strength to support his own weight anymore and he found himself vaguely wishing that if he were dying that the process would speed up a little bit.

Dying was one thing but being tortured and then dying was completely unfair.

"Take it easy son," a strange voice said, causing Nicholas to bolt up from his spot on the bed. Which proved to be one of the biggest mistakes that he could have made given his current condition. His head suddenly felt as though someone had taken a sledge hammer to it and the boy howled in pain. Gripping his head with both hands the boy still managed to gaze around the room through half opened eyes and he gasped in surprise as he saw a strange man standing at the foot of his bed.

"Who are you?" he demanded, hating the fact that speaking only caused the pain in his head to multiply.

"I am the Millennium Earl," the strange man wearing the top hat proclaimed.

Nicholas took a moment to study the man's rather odd appearance. The man wasn't very tall but he made up for his lack of height by his sheer width. The man was almost round and he seemed to have a grin perpetually glued to his face. It was almost creepy although Nicholas was in too much pain at the moment to dwell on the man's weird looks. "So what exactly do you want with me? For that matter, how did you even get in here? Did Mana forget to lock the door again? I swear..."

"I had no need to use the door," the Millennium Earl said with a chuckle that made him sound almost demented. "And I am here for you dear boy. For you are one of the Chosen Ones."

"Chosen ones?" Nicholas repeated, now curious about where this psychopath had escaped from. As though having a splitting headache wasn't enough now he had a raving lunatic in his bedroom. Man, when it came to luck he simply didn't have any.

"Yes indeed," the man who called himself the Millennium Earl said, the sinister grin still in place. "You are part of the Clan of Noah, one of the children who has inherited the genes of mankind's greatest apostle."

Now Nicholas knew that the man was crazy. He had never even heard of this Clan of Noah and had no idea what it could possibly have to do with him. Vaguely he found himself wishing that the stranger would go and be delusional somewhere else.

"The headache that you are experiencing is regrettable," the Millennium Earl said, gazing down at the boy who was still clutching his head and looking rather ill at this point. "But it will all be over very soon."

"I think I'm dying," Nicholas moaned as his head throbbed yet again. "Could you please leave me alone so that I can die in peace? Or kill me now and put me out of my misery?"

"You aren't dying," the Millennium Earl assured him, smile still in place. Now almost delirious from the pain in his forehead Nicholas found himself wondering how exactly the man spoke when his teeth seemed to always be clenched together.

"Oh great," the boy thought to himself. "Dying isn't bad enough but I have to lose my sanity first... This is just great."

One final jolt of pain caused Nicholas to gasp and then he felt something warm trickling down his face. Almost afraid of what he was going to find but realizing that he had to know Nicholas slowly reached up and gingerly touched his forehead. Then, when he pulled his hand back, he saw that his finger tips were completely coated in blood.

"What the hell?" he exclaimed as he gazed at the blood.

"Your awakening is complete," the Millennium Earl announced, gazing down at the boy. Reaching over he pulled a small mirror down from the dresser and held it up so that Nicholas could see his reflection. The boy gasped once again as he saw a neat row of little cross like wounds running across his forehead.

"How..."

"This is what marks you as a member of the Clan of Noah," the Millennium Earl explained patiently. "You will find that your powers have been awakened as well. Now if you will come with me then I will take you home and introduce you to your new siblings."

At the mention of siblings Nicholas thought about the brother who had left him to journey into town. Despite the fact that he was curious about what had happened to him Nicholas knew that he couldn't just leave. He had to talk to Mana about everything, see if his brother knew anything about what had happened to him.

"I can't leave," Nicholas said, shaking his head as he once again thought about the brother who was fiercely protective of him. Leaving without so much as a word to Mana would be beyond cruel and despite the fact that he really wanted to know what was going on he simply couldn't do that. Not to Mana. "Not without talking to my brother."

Nicholas thought he saw a brief flash of anger pass in front of the Millennium Earl's eyes but he couldn't be sure. With the expression that the strange man maintained it was almost impossible to judge his emotions with any accuracy. "Take your time dear boy," the man said after a moment. "I'll come back to speak to you in a week's time."

And without so much as another word to the boy the strange man disappeared. Into thin air. Nicholas furiously swiped at his eyes with the back of his hands and then gazed again at the spot where the strange man had been standing mere seconds before. "I really hope that I was hallucinating that whole thing..."

With this thought in mind Nicholas raised a shaky hand to his forehead and gently probbed the flesh there. "Well," he thought with a sigh as he felt those strange little wounds that now decorated his forehead. "If I was hallucinating then I still am."

A/N - I know that I shouldn't have started another chapter fic when I have so many on going already but I simply couldn't resist. This story has to be AU cause I'm just wildly guessing about the 14th's past but I really wanted to write it so write it I did. I do that a lot it seems. Revised because I had to change the Noah of Pleasure, who's name in this actually means pleasure by the way. Anyway please leave a review and tell me what you thought.


	2. Changes

Disclaimer - I do not own D Gray Man nor any of the characters

Chapter Two - Changes

Once he was certain that he was once again alone in the small house Nicholas slowly climbed out of bed and made his way to the small bathroom that was located in the back of the house. The boy was still somewhat off balance due to his extremely long bout with the strange headache that had actually managed to split open his head in several places. On the bright side however he was relieved to find that his excruciating headache had decreased in intensity and had become merely a dull ache. This was much better than before; this he could handle.

_**"For you are one of the Chosen Ones," **_the voice of his strange visitor echoed in his mind. He could still hear these words, almost as if they had been burned into his memory. _**"You are part of the Clan of Noah, one of the children who has inherited the genes of mankind's greatest apostle."**_

"What could that possibly mean?" Nicholas muttered to himself. "Or does it even really mean anything?"

With his thoughts still centered on the strange man who had paid him a visit while he had thought that he was dying Nicholas entered the small bathroom and walked up to the mirror. He had no idea where the crazy man had disappeared too and at this given moment he didn't really care. He quickly banished all thoughts of the guy and glanced up at the mirror.

He froze as he caught sight of his reflection.

"What the..." he mouthed as he stared at the image that appeared as though an artist had drawn him with deliberate differences.

The line of cross shaped wounds still lined his forehead, looking red and raw, but that was the least of his concerns at this point. Nicholas reached up and touched a strand of his hair; normally a rich mahogany, something seemed to have happened to change it's color to a dark gray, almost black, color. His skin seemed to have turned gray as well but the most disconcerting thing about his appearance were his eyes. Normally they were a smoky gray color but now they were a strange golden color, appearing to almost glow.

"What happened to me?" he whispered, taking a couple of steps back away from the mirror.

The boy was thoroughly freaked out by this change in his appearance and he shook his head, willing things to go back to the way they had been before. He was weird enough without this strange change in his appearance and he wanted it to go away. Wanted desperately for things to return to the way that they had been before this strange set of occurrences.

The boy clenched his eyes closed for a few minutes, softly humming as a way to distract himself from all that had happened on this, the absolute weirdest day of his life. Then, after taking a couple of deep, calming breaths, Nicholas opened his eyes and once again gazed at the mirror. He gasped as he saw that his appearance had gone back to normal, save for the little row of crosses.

"This doesn't make any sense," Nicholas muttered as he opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out a roll of bandages. First his appearance changes and then he just reverts to normal as though nothing had happened. The strange little wounds on his forehead were still bleeding and he decided that it would be for the best to cover them up. It wouldn't be good if they were to become infected. Wincing due to the tenderness of the flesh Nicholas wrapped the bandages around his head and then secured them in place.

_"I need some time to think," _the young man thought to himself as he made his way through the house to the small sitting room. A very worn looking piano was positioned at the far wall and it was to this instrument that Nicholas walked. It had been a gift from his brother, since Mana had thought that he needed something to keep his mind occupied, and Nicholas had taught himself to play, making up his own music instead of using the books that had came along with it.

Sitting down at the bench Nicholas held his hands over the keys, fingers poised to strike the first notes. He was thinking of a happy little tune that he had written as a way to cheer himself up after the deaths of his parents however, when the young man placed his fingers to the keys, that wasn't the song that came forth. Instead the young man began to play a haunting song that reminded him somewhat of a lullaby.

And as he played this new song Nicholas could feel a strange energy begin to swirl around him. It was similar to the energy that was summoned forth by those who practiced magic but at the same time there was something decidedly different about it. The music seemed to surround him; seemed to carry him away from the small house and away from his current problems. All thoughts of the strange cross shaped wounds and the insane man who had visited him vanished as the young man continued to play.

Nicholas relaxed as the notes of this new song came forth from his fingers and the young man found that he was able to forget about all the strange things that had happened to him. He felt oddly at peace, as though the notes of the song were enveloping him in a comforting embrace. It was a strange and yet at the same time welcome feeling.

"Nicholas..."

Drawn back to the real world by the sound of his brother calling out to him Nicholas stopped playing and turned around on the piano stool to watch as Mana entered the room. Looking slightly wind blown, Mana was holding a couple of brown paper bags, one in each arm, and was gazing at his brother as though thinking that he had lost his mind. For some reason this observation struck the young man as funny and he had to force himself not to laugh.

_"Ha," _Nicholas thought to himself as he gazed at Mana. _"I was visited by an escapee from the asylum who told me that I was one of the Chosen Ones and Mana thinks that I'm the crazy one. There's something decidedly wrong about that."_

"Should you really be out of bed Nicholas?" Mana asked, taking a couple of steps toward his younger brother. Concern was evident in his kind eyes as he gazed at the kid who was sitting at the piano, seemingly searching his face for some kind of answer.

For a moment Nicholas couldn't figure out what had Mana so freaked out but then he remembered the bandages that he had wrapped around his head. Reaching up he absently touched the spot where the center cross was located and offered his brother a somewhat shaky smile. "I kept telling you that my head was going to split open."

In hindsight Nicholas realized that this had probably not been the best thing to say to his brother.

Instantly horrified by the implications of his brother's words Mana dropped the bags to the floor and rushed over to the spot where Nicholas was sitting. Reaching out he gingerly touched the bandages that the boy had wrapped around his head and, to his horror, he watched as spots of blood began to bleed through the fabric. "What happened?"

"Not sure exactly," Nicholas replied honestly, at the same time taking the bandages and unwrapping them. He had debated about whether or not to show the strange wounds to his brother but Mana knew more about the supernatural side of the world than he did, having studied magic for a couple of years. There was absolutely no way that these wounds had been caused by any natural force and Nicholas found himself hoping that, just maybe, his brother might be able to answer his questions.

Mana's eyes widened as he watched the bandages fall to the floor, revealing a row of strange, cross shaped wounds that spread across his brother's forehead. There were seven of them, each of which appeared to have been carved there by a little knife. "What did you do to yourself?" he asked as he leaned forward and carefully examined the wounds.

"I didn't do this," Nicholas said, gazing up at his brother without so much as batting an eye.

Mana gazed into his brother's gray eyes for a moment and then nodded. He was still confused about the situation but he could tell that his brother wasn't lying. After all the boy didn't even flinch when he looked him straight in the eyes. "Okay, so when exactly did this happen?"

"Not long after you left," Nicholas replied, a thoughtful expression on his face as he recalled the last moments of his excruciating headache. "Right after the escapee from the asylum showed up as a matter of fact."

"Wait a minute..." Mana said, his eyes widening as the meaning of the boy's words registered in his already overwhelmed brain. Surely he hadn't heard that correctly. "What?"

"Oh," Nicholas said, not really having thought about the affect his words would have on his brother. "Sorry about that. Not long after you left, and just before these strange markings appeared, this guy showed up in my room. He had a perpetual smile and he told me that I was one of the Chosen Ones and that my headache had something to do with an... awakening I think he called it. The man was completely nuts."

Mana was instantly on the alert. Some stranger had visited his brother, telling him that he had been chosen, and then those strange little wounds had appeared across his forehead. That sounded like some kind of magical spell or more likely some kind of curse. "Where did this man go Nicholas?"

The boy sitting on the piano stool shrugged his shoulders. "I haven't the slightest idea. He wanted me to go home with him, to meet my new siblings he said, but I told him no. He didn't look too happy about that but said that he'd give me a week to make a decision. Which... I take to mean that he's coming back for me."

"Shit," Mana swore, his gaze locked on his brother. "We have to get out of here."

"Calm down Mana," Nicholas said, picking up the discarded bandages that had fallen to the floor. "There are still some things that are weird and I may need that man's help to figure them out."

"What are you talking about?" It was obvious from Mana's expression that he thought the boy had completely lost his mind.

"These wounds aren't the only thing that changed," Nicholas said in a quiet voice, feeling some strange inner voice calling out to him. Telling him to embrace the memories... Okay that part didn't make any sense and Nicholas chose to ignore it for the time being. "My appearance changed as well."

Mana gazed at his brother, looking as though he wanted to ask a question but was afraid to. Nicholas didn't blame his brother for being freaked out, after all none of this made even the slightest bit of sense. Taking a deep breath the boy thought back to the way that he had looked when he'd gazed at himself in the mirror. He felt something pulsing through his veins and hummed softly to himself in an effort to take his mind away so that he could ignore the strange feeling and the voice that kept calling out to him.

"Nicholas!"

The young man opened his eyes and could tell immediately that his attempts at a transformation had been successful merely by the way that his brother was staring at him. The voice that had been calling out to him in a whisper was louder now and Nicholas gripped the sides of his head with both hands. There was music as well as the voice and together they were overwhelming.

"Are you alright?"

Nicholas heard Mana's voice calling out to him and, with great effort, managed to seize hold of his mind and return to the present. The voice and the music faded somewhat but remained in the background of his mind. "I suppose that I'm alright. More or less. Just... different."

"I don't know what this means," Mana said, placing his hands on his brother's shoulders. "But we're going to find out."

* * *

"Lord Millennium!" Road called out happily, launching herself toward the large man who was walking toward her. The Millennium Earl turned his perpetually smiling face toward the young girl and, when she launched herself forward, he wrapped his arms around her.

"Settle down Road."

A pout formed on the young girl's face as she realized that the Millennium Earl had returned alone. "Where's our new sibling? You promised that you were going to bring them back with you."

"The boy is confused," the Millennium Earl said, shaking his head as he thought back to the newest member of the Clan of Noah. It might take a little work to convince that one to join their happy family but he was certain that it could be done. "I decided to give him some time to come to terms with his powers. I'll return for him in a week's time."

"Aww," Road whined. "I was looking forward to having someone new to play with."

"Speaking of playing," the Millennium Earl said, his gaze focused on the First Child. "I couldn't find my Lero when I was leaving earlier. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?"

Road merely laughed.

"Lord Millennium... Lero!"

Both the Millennium Earl and Road turned to watch as a folded up umbrella came flying toward them. The jack o lantern on the tip had a horrified expression on it's face and tears were pouring from it's eyes. "Thank goodness you're back... Lero!"

A/N - Hope that you enjoyed chapter two of this fic, which I think is my new favorite out of the ones that I'm currently working on. Please leave a review and tell me what you thought.


	3. Different

Disclaimer - I still do not own D Gray Man

Chapter Three - Different

Over the next couple of days the pain in his forehead diminished and, with the diminished pain and healing, the strange little wounds seemed to be fading away. Nicholas was grateful for this fact, since they were somewhat of an eyesore, but there were other things that were disturbing to the young man that did not seem to be going away. Music seemed to be constantly playing in his mind, strange songs that he had never before heard and yet at the same time seemed familiar with.

And then there was the voice. The voice that whispered to him to accept his place and embrace the memories of Noah. That was the part that Nicholas was trying his hardest to suppress. It was also the part that he was having the most difficulty with. Everything else he could deal with but the young man drew the line at listening to voices.

"I really must be crazy," the boy muttered to himself. There was simply no other way to explain it.

Irritated with the current situation and needing a distraction Nicholas made his way into the sitting room and once again found himself seated at the old piano. This had became a regular habit during the last couple of days, since the music never failed to take his mind away from his current situation, and the boy once again poised his fingers over the keys. This time he didn't even have a song in mind, having decided to let his subconscious decide what he was to play.

After all, his fingers seemed to have a mind of their own as of late anyway. The first few times that he had played the piano Nicholas had a song in mind and yet, when he began to play, he found that something entirely different flowed forth from the instrument.

And all of the songs that his subconscious chose to play were new and seemed to cause a strange energy to circulate around him as he played. There was something definitely different about these new songs but the young man couldn't for the life of him figure out what it was.

He was, however, determined to find out.

When the young man touched the keys of the piano he found that the strange lullaby from before was the song that he produced. This particular song was haunting and yet, at the same time, strangely soothing. It had a strange calming effect on the young man which was a welcome distraction from the stress that he had been dealing with. Closing his eyes Nicholas allowed his mind to wander, carried away by the notes of the song.

As he continued to play the boy thought back to the strange visitor who had appeared to him and told him that he was ascending to his powers. _"Powers," _Nicholas thought to himself as the music continued to stream forth. He had noticed that strange things seemed to be happening around him now and that most of them were tied in with his music.

Perhaps that was the powers that the strange man who called himself the Millennium Earl had been referring to. Deciding to test the theory for himself Nicholas thought back to what he had been doing when each of the strange occurrences had taken place. The first had been when he had changed his appearance the first time and the boy recalled that he had been humming. This held true for when he had transformed so that he could show Mana what had happened.

"I wonder..."

As the notes continued to flow from his finger tips Nicholas found himself softly singing. He had no idea where the lyrics were coming from and yet they seemed to fit the melody perfectly. _"I wish that Mana were here so that he could hear this..."_

"Nicholas..."

The young man stopped mid song and gazed at his brother, who had just entered the sitting room. Mana had said that he was going to do some research and that he would be gone for most of the day and yet here he was. Did it have anything to do with his thoughts?

_"That's just crazy," _the young man thought to himself, shaking his head as though that would rid him of the insanity that seemed to have taken over his mind. "Hey Mana, I thought you were going to be gone all day?"

Mana held up a book. "It took less time than I thought to track this down."

"What is it?" Nicholas asked, gazing at the large leather bound book that his brother was holding in one hand. It looked extremely old and seemed to be well worn, the binding frayed in several places. "And if you say a book I swear I'll..."

"Magic," Mana replied, walking over to a small sofa that was positioned at the other end of the room from the piano. The older of the two brothers sat down and began to thumb through the book, a look of extreme concentration on his face.

"Careful," Nicholas said with a chuckle. "Don't hurt yourself."

"Funny," Mana said as he turned the pages of the book. His eyes were darting back and forth across the pages, as though he were searching for something specific. This fact piqued the interest of his younger brother, who left the piano and joined his brother on the sofa. "So what was that you were playing Nicholas? I don't think that I've heard that song before."

"It's a new one," Nicholas replied, not really sure of how else to explain it. "So what exactly are you looking for?"

"For some clue as to what exactly was done to you," Mana replied.

"Hmm," Nicholas said, a thoughtful expression in his smoky gray eyes.

_**"Give in to the memories... The Noah of Praise will be reborn..."**_

The young man's eyes widened as he heard this strange voice echoing through his mind. It wasn't the first time that he had heard this particular voice but this was the loudest that it had ever been. It was also the first time that he had heard the voice mention anything about the Noah. The strange man who had called himself the Millennium Earl had mentioned the Clan of Noah and suddenly he didn't seem quite as crazy as he had before. "Noah of Praise," he whispered, wondering exactly what that meant.

"What was that Nicholas?" Mana asked as he glanced up from his book and gazed at his younger brother.

"Nothing," Nicholas said quickly, not willing to tell his older brother that he was hearing voices. That might just push him over the edge of insanity in his brother's eyes. Hell, he was beginning to think that he was crazy himself. Why else would he be hearing voices and making wishes while playing the piano? The stress of the last couple of days was just too much, this was the excuse that he would choose to use should anyone comment on his mental stability.

_"I'm different," _Nicholas thought to himself, getting to his feet and walking back over to the piano. _"There's nothing that I can do about it but isn't it okay to be different? Maybe this will prove to be useful in some way. Maybe I was chosen for something..."_

_

* * *

_

"Lord Millennium!" Road called out as she bounded across the room toward the spot where the Millennium Earl was seated, surrounded by telephones and floating jack o lanterns. The large man turned his head and watched as the young girl bounded toward him.

"What is it Road?" he asked, offering her an indulgent smile. Road was the First Child and he showed her a measure of favoritism. After all she was the only one other than he himself who had the power to operate Noah's Ark, which made her more special than the rest of her siblings.

"I want my new brother," Road whined as she launched herself into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. There was a pleading look in her golden eyes as she gazed at the Earl, begging him to go and collect the sibling that he had promised. She didn't care if he was confused or not, she wanted someone to play with.

"I told you that I would return for him in a week," the Earl said patiently.

"But..."

"You're just going to have to be patient Road," the Millennium Earl said, smiling indulgently at the young girl. "We're going to have to take things slow with this one. He's confused and needs to come to terms with the memories of Noah that he possesses."

"So which memories does he have?" Road asked, still disappointed that she wouldn't get her new sibling for a few more days but curious about this extra member of their family. After all there were only supposed to be thirteen members of the Clan of Noah and yet this new boy was the fourteenth born.

"This boy holds the memory of Praise," the Millennium Earl told her, a strange expression in the eyes that were hiding behind the glasses. "There hasn't been a Noah born with this memory since the first generation. This gift is exceedingly rare."

"Wow," Road said, her golden eyes wide. She had known all along that this new sibling had to be special and the words of the Millennium Earl only confirmed it. Then the young girl abruptly abandoned those thoughts to focus on something else. "But I'm still bored."

"Why don't you go and find Lero?" the Millennium Earl suggested, referring to his enchanted umbrella. Road really enjoyed playing with it and the Earl thought that it would serve the purpose of getting the girl to forget about her new sibling for awhile.

"Great idea!"

And with this shout Road leapt from the Earl's lap and dashed from the room to search for the umbrella.

The Earl watched the young girl's departure before his thoughts returned to the mahogany haired youth that he had met mere days before. There was something different about this child and the Earl had high hopes for the Noah of Praise. "This boy could prove incredibly useful..."

* * *

"So did you find anything Mana?" Nicholas asked when his brother finally placed his book down on the table. He was still sitting at the piano although he hadn't been playing anything. The young man hadn't wanted to disturb Mana's reading and so he had only been humming some random tunes that were running through his mind.

The music was always there now; all he had to do was search his mind for the right song to play.

Mana shook his head, rubbing his temples with the tips of his fingers as though he were developing a headache. "Nothing even remotely helpful," he said in a quiet voice, his brown eyes downcast as though he didn't want to look at his brother.

Nicholas was instantly concerned.

"Are you alright Mana?"

Chuckling softly to himself Mana gazed over at the spot where the kid was sitting. "Just getting a bit of a headache," he replied, kicking off his shoes and stretching out on the sofa. "Why don't you play that song that you were playing earlier? I'd like to hear it."

"Okay," Nicholas said, turning to face the piano. Placing his fingers above the keys the young man took a deep breath and then began to play. The notes of the lullaby flowed fluidly from his fingers and, after a few bars, Nicholas began to sing softly.

And as he sang he thought about his brother who was lying on the sofa across the room. Mana had said that it was just a little headache but Nicholas could tell by the expression on his face that his brother was in pain. And he desperately wished that he could do something about it.

_"I really wish that I could help... that I could make his headache go away."_

A little gasp issued from the young man across the room and Nicholas abruptly stopped playing and turned to look at his brother. Concern radiated from his gray eyes. "What is it Mana? Are you okay?"

"It's the damnedest thing," Mana said as he sat up and gazed over at his brother, shock plainly visible in his wide eyes. "My headache's completely gone."

"Gone?" Nicholas repeated in a quiet voice, thinking back to his thoughts as he had played the lullaby. This was the second time that he'd made a request while playing that song and both times he had gotten what he wanted. This couldn't be normal... could it?

"Amazing..." Mana said, a smile spreading across his face.

"Yea," Nicholas said, resuming his song and losing himself to the tune. "Amazing."

"I really do like that song," Mana said, getting up from the sofa and walking across the sitting room so that he could stand behind his little brother. He placed a gentle hand on the kid's shoulder and Nicholas turned his head and offered him a smile over his shoulder.

"I do too," Nicholas said, nodding his head in agreement as the final notes of the song faded into oblivion. For more reasons than he could explain to Mana but that was another story entirely.

_**"Give in to the memories..."**_

Nicholas was once again forced to think about these memories that the strange voice in his head kept mentioning. He didn't understand what he was suppose to do and yet he couldn't get the voice to leave him alone. He had the sneaking suspicion that the only way to do that would be to give in but he didn't even know what he was giving in to.

_"Memories of what?" _he thought to himself, running a hand through his already unruly mahogany hair. He desperately wanted the answer to this question but was woefully confused as to how to acquire the information. And this frustrated him.

A/N - Is anyone reading this? Is it even worth continuing? Please someone tell me, self doubt is beginning to creep up on me.


	4. Decision

Disclaimer - I do not own D Gray Man

Chapter Four - Decision

Exactly a week had passed since the strange little wounds had first appeared across Nicholas Walker's forehead and during the time that had elapsed since then his brother Mana had done everything within his power to discover what could have caused it. Unfortunately, despite the amount of effort that he had put into the search, it had turned up nothing. Not even a single clue that pointed toward what had happened to Nicholas.

"I'm sorry Nicholas," Mana said from his spot on the sofa. His brown eyed gaze was locked on the young man who was seated once more at the piano. The boy had been playing almost constantly for the last several hours and Mana felt a weird stirring in the air. It seemed as though something was circling around his brother but he could neither see it nor truly feel it. It was more of a sixth sense.

"It's not your fault," Nicholas said, idling tapping random notes on the piano. "Perhaps what happened to me has nothing to do with magic. We assumed that it was a curse but what if it isn't..."

"Well what else could it be?" Mana asked.

"I'm not entirely sure," Nicholas replied honestly, closing his eyes and visualizing the energy that he felt swirling around him. He had come to the realization that the strange energy that he had been feeling was caused by the music and that each note had it's own unique signal for lack of a better word. "But I think that the strange man who paid me a visit can explain things."

Mana was instantly on the alert. He didn't like the strange tone that he heard in the boy's voice; his brother was planning something and Mana was certain that he wasn't going to like it. Whatever it happened to be. "You can't possibly be thinking about going with him..."

"Why not?" Nicholas demanded, turning to gaze at Mana. The younger boy's gray eyes bored into his brother's own brown ones, searching for a legitimate reason behind why he shouldn't be curious about what the man had to say. It was true that he had thought the man crazy upon their first meeting but things had changed since then. Too much had happened for him to be able to dismiss the man so easily. "He knows something about me... something that I need to know about myself."

"I just... I just don't want to lose you Nicky," Mana said, startling his younger brother with this revelation. It had been years since Mana had used that nickname, given to the younger boy when they were both small. Abandoning the piano stool upon which he had been sitting for the past couple of hours Nicholas crossed the sitting room and sat down on the sofa beside his older brother. "You're all the family that I have left."

"You can be so stupid sometimes Mana," Nicholas said with a laugh, attempting to lighten the dark mood that had descended upon them due to his brother's confession. "You aren't going to lose anything, I promise you that. But I need to know the answers about myself and if he can provide them to me then I have to go."

A few moments passed, during which Nicholas gazed at his brother, pleading with his gray eyes for Mana to understand. Then finally the older boy nodded. "Alright Nicky, if it's really what you have to do. Just promise me that you'll be careful. I've got a bad feeling."

"I'll be careful," Nicholas promised, a small smile spreading across his boyishly handsome face. "Everything's going to be alright."

Mana nodded, feeling somewhat awkward due to the fact that his little brother was the one offering him reassurance. This was normally his job and Mana was fairly certain that he didn't like the reversal of roles. He managed to hide that fact however and he offered Nicholas a big, goofy grin. "If you say so."

"With that face you'd make a good clown," Nicholas commented as he got to his feet and walked across the room to the piano. The mood needed to be lightened and Nicholas knew just how to do it. Besides, he needed to run one final experiment before the strange man returned.

Assuming he kept his word and really did come back.

Taking his seat back at the old worn piano Nicholas began to play the lullaby once more. And as he sang softly to himself the boy thought, _"I need for Mana to go to sleep. I'm not sure how the stranger will react to him so I'd rather keep his identity a secret." _Unfortunately he had already revealed the fact that he had a brother, on the day that the man had visited him, but Mana had been away at the time so the stranger had no idea what he looked like.

And Nicholas had every intention of keeping it that way, one way or another.

As soon as the final notes died away Nicholas once again turned toward the sofa and he smiled softly as he saw that Mana had slumped over and appeared to be sleeping peacefully. So the power of the music really could make his will reality.

That was a handy trick.

* * *

"Today's the day!" Road sang out as she watched the Millennium Earl pick up the umbrella Lero and prepare to leave. "The day I get my new brother!"

"Indeed, indeed," the Earl said, turning to gaze at the young girl who was skipping around the room. "So long as the boy cooperates this time we should return within a couple of hours. Now I must be off."

"Yay!" Road squealed once more.

Leaving the mansion where he and the Clan of Noah made their residence the Millennium Earl opened the umbrella and used it to soar into the air. A week had passed since the powers of the Noah of Praise had awakened and during this time the Earl had found that his thoughts had been preoccupied by the young man with the piercing gray eyes. The youth had looked at him as though believing him to be crazy when first he had told the boy of his powers and the Earl found himself wondering how he would react upon his return. Would the powers that had awakened have been enough to convince the youth that he had indeed been telling the truth?

"I hope that the dear boy comes along without incident," the Earl said to himself, a somewhat sinister expression appearing on his forever smiling face.

With the aid of Lero it didn't take very long for the Millennium Earl to arrive at the home where he had first met the child who held the memory of Praise. Such a strange gift to have resurfaced after so long and the Earl couldn't help but be a tiny bit curious about the mahogany haired young man. As he descended from the sky, coming to land in the front yard, he noticed a figure standing near a large tree.

"Welcome back," the young man called out as the Earl turned toward him.

It was the boy, dressed in black trousers and a white button up shirt. His mahogany hair was slicked back however a few rebellious strands fell in front of his smoky gray eyes. His gaze was questioning as he looked over at the Earl, who could tell that the youth was somewhat surprised to see him again. "Hello dear boy," he said as he folded his umbrella and began to walk toward the kid. "Have you given thought to what we spoke of before."

"I have," the boy said, inclining his head slightly.

"And?" the Earl prompted, coming to a stop a few feet away from the young man.

"I have noticed some changes," the boy said, his voice quiet and thoughtful. "And I wish to know more about them. I was hoping that you would be able to explain things to me."

"Wonderful," the Millennium Earl said, the already impossibly large grin on his face growing even wider. "If you will accompany me back to the manor then I promise that everything will be explained. And you will be able to meet your new siblings, who are most anxious to see you."

"Very well," the boy said.

"It seems terribly rude of me," the Earl said, gazing at the boy over the top of the glasses that he wore. "But it occured to me that I didn't ask your name the last time that I was here. Please forgive me but I was somewhat preoccupied."

"My name is Nicholas."

The Millennium Earl held out his hand to the youth who, after a moment of hesitation, accepted it. "Welcome to the family Nicholas."

Nicholas bowed politely.

"Yes," the Earl said, nodding his head as his gaze swept over the young man. "Yes, I believe that you will fit in quite nicely."

And with these words the two departed.

* * *

Mana awoke with a start, consumed by the strange feeling that his life had just been changed irreperably. Sitting up quickly and vaguely wondering when he had fallen asleep, the young man's gaze swept the room. He was completely alone and he found himself wondering where Nicholas could have gone. The kid hadn't left this room all day after all so where had he gotten to?

Mana rose to his feet and made his way toward the door, needing to see his brother. He didn't know why but he was suddenly very concerned about Nicholas. It didn't take long for Mana to search the small house, as well as the property that surrounded it, and he found no sign of his brother.

His fear increased as he returned to the house.

"Where have you gone Nicholas?" he thought to himself as he returned to the sitting room. His gaze once again swept the room and this time he caught sight of a small slip of paper that had been left where sheet music was meant to sit. This was odd, since Nicholas never used sheet music, and Mana stepped closer so that he could investigate the situation.

Reaching out with shaking fingers Mana picked up the slip of paper and carefully unfolded it. He immediately recognized the neat flowing script that belonged to his brother and he felt his heart sink as he read the words that Nicholas had written.

It was a goodbye letter.

The boy had been quick to assure his brother that he would return soon and explain everything but for some reason Nicholas had thought that it would be better for him to leave without saying goodbye. Mana had to force himself not to cry, instantly grieving for the little brother who had left. He desperately hoped that Nicholas would find the answers that he was seeking but more than that he hoped that his little brother would return to him. The boy was the only family that he had left and Mana didn't want to think about never seeing him again.

After all he had practically raised the kid.

Their parents had traveled often, leaving the two boys alone to care for the small farm. It hadn't been easy but the two brothers had managed just fine by themselves and had formed a special bond. Now Mana found that bond threatened by an unknown entity.

He had a bad feeling.

_"Please be okay Nicky,"_ he thought to himself as he folded the letter once more and placed it in the pocket of his trousers. He had work to do so he really couldn't dwell on the fact that his little brother had left but as he went about his chores Mana found it impossible to get his mind away from Nicholas. He was afraid for the boy, who had journey alone into the unknown. What if this was all some kind of plot to harm the boy?

* * *

As the Millennium Earl and Nicholas stepped through the door of the manor the boy was shocked to find that his appearance instantly changed. His skin took on that strange grayish hue and his clothes transformed into a tuxedo, complete with top hat. Confused by the sudden change in his clothing, Nicholas reached up and touched the top hat that now sat upon his mahogany hair.

"We simply can't have someone of your station dressed in rags," the Earl commented when he noticed Nicholas' confusion.

Now the clothes that Nicholas had been wearing had been far from rags and he opened his mouth to tell the man that but he didn't get the chance.

"Finally!"

Nicholas was somewhat surprised by the squeal that greeted them when he and the Millennium Earl arrived at the manor, which the man said would be his home from now on. His golden eyes opened wide as a young girl suddenly appeared out of nowhere and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Now Road," the Millennium Earl admonished, his gaze locked on the two children. "Is that any way to greet your new brother?"

Looking completely unabashed the girl named Road released her grip on Nicholas and offered him a small curtsy. "I'm very pleased to meet you. My name is Road Kamelot and I hold the memory of Dreams."

"Dreams..." Nicholas repeated before he realized that the Earl was staring at him. Straightening his back the young man bowed politely and said, in a voice that sounded as though it belonged to someone else, "The pleasure is all mine Miss Road. My name is Nicholas Walker and I hold the memory of Praise."

"Very nice," the Earl said.

The Millennium Earl turned away from him at this point and Nicholas shook his head. He was confused by the introduction that he himself had just given to the girl named Road. It was as though he hadn't been the one in control, as though the voice that echoed in his mind had taken charge briefly.

"Come Nicholas," the Earl called out, breaking into the young man's thoughts. "It is time for you to meet the rest of the family."

"Right," Nicholas said in a quiet voice, turning to follow the Earl.

Road immediately looped her arm around that of Nicholas and together the two of them followed the Millennium Earl down the hall toward a large door at the end. Nicholas briefly wondered whether he had made the right decision but quickly shoved those thoughts to the back of his mind. He needed to know what was going on and this was the only way to find out.

_**"Give in to the memories... the Noah of Praise will be reborn..."**_

A/N - hope that you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review and tell me what you thought. I really enjoy reading your comments about my humble story.


	5. Family

Disclaimer - I do not own D Gray Man

Chapter Five - Family

Nicholas supposed that, given the wierdness that had pretty much taken over his life in the past week, he really shouldn't have been shocked to find himself suddenly dressed in a tuxedo. After all the miraculous changing of his clothing paled in comparison to the fact that he could play a song on the piano that granted wishes but since he had never been one for dressing formally this was the aspect that the young boy decided to focus upon.

Reaching up with a gloved hand he tugged at the bow tie that was around his throat.

"Now you're going to meet the rest of the family," the girl named Road said, wrapping her arm even tighter around Nicholas' own. It was as though she had taken possession of him and had no intention of letting go anytime soon. The young man was somewhat uncomfortable with this close contact but once again chose to say nothing.

He got the impression that it really wouldn't matter if he objected.

When the group arrived at the large door at the end of the corridor a strange looking person in a maid's uniform opened the door so that they could enter. The Millennium Earl entered the room first, completely ignoring the bowing servant, and then Road practically pulled Nicholas inside.

He was somewhat reluctant to follow, having no idea what exactly he was walking into, but he knew that he didnt' really have a choice. He had accompanied the Millennium Earl to this manor in the hopes of finding out the secret behind these strange powers that he seemed to have acquired and he was determined to see this through until he had obtained that knowledge.

Upon entering the room Nicholas' golden eyes scanned the interior and he saw that the room was empty save for a large table in the center, around which were several high backed chairs. All except three of the chairs were occupied and said occupants turned questioning gazes toward the new arrivals as they stepped through the door. Nicholas immediately knew that all eyes were upon him and, reaching up, he removed his top hat with a little flourish and bowed politely to the group.

"Hello," the young man said, his air one of confidense and, to a small degree, arrogance. He was nervous but he didn't want any of them to realize this fact. So he did everything within his power to hide it. "I'm Nicholas Walker."

"This young man is the person who holds the memories of praise. I trust that you will all be nice to your new brother," the Millennium Earl said as he took his place at the head of the table. It was obvious that he expected his two companions to sit down as well and Nicholas made a move to take one of the two remaining empty chairs only to be stopped by Road.

The girl refused to release her grip on his arm and, with a determined look in her golden eyes, she pulled him along with her toward a vacamt chair near the head of the table. Walking up to a large man with dark hair the girl said, "Radwan, I want to sit with our new brother so please move."

The man's eyes narrowed as his gaze shifted back and forth between the girl and the boy whose arm she was gripping tightly.

_"I don't foresee this ending well," _Nicholas thought to himself, preparing to make yet another attempt to extricate his arm from the girl's grasp. She didn't seem to want to relese the vice-like hold that she had on him but he really wanted to regain his freedom. He did not want to be caught in the middle of a fight and this showed every sign of escalating to that point.

A few tense seconds passed and then the man stood up and moved to the other empty chair, which was located on the other side of the table. Road offered Nicholas a smile before she pushed him into the chair that the man named Radwan had vacated and then sat down beside him.

The Millennium Earl either had not noticed the altercation or else he was pretending that he hadn't noticed. Either way he was gazing at the assembled group with a strange expression in his eerie yellow eyes. "Our family is complete."

Nicholas gazed around at the people who were assembled at the table, taking in the fact that they were a very diverse group. It seemed as though many nationalities were represented in this room and Nicholas was fairly certain that no one in their right mind would think that they were a family. With this thought in mind Nicholas found his mind once again returning to these so called genes of Noah, which were supposedly what linked them together as a family.

_"This family practically screams out dysfunctional," _the young man vaguely thought to himself.

"Well now," the Earl said, clasping his hands together in front of him. All chatter ceased and all eyes turned to the Millennium Earl. "Since the Noah of Praise introduced himself to all of you I think that it's only proper that you all do the same."

"Okay Lord Millennium," Road said, casting a smile in the new Noah's direction. She seemed completely oblivious to the fact that she had already introduced herself but since the Earl did nothing to stop her Nicholas decided to overlook this fact. "I'm Road Kamelot and I'm the Noah of Dreams."

One by one all of the assembled Noah introduced themselves to the new arrival and Nicholas committed each name to memory. He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about his new so called family but it would be rude of him not to remember their names and the youth got the impression that Lord Millennium cared about such things.

"And now that the introductions are complete I think it's time for us to enjoy our meal."

The servants who had been standing in the shadows took this as their cue to move and they quickly served up a meal the likes of which Nicholas had never seen. It wasn't as though he had been deprived during his life but this... this took excessive to a whole new extreme.

_"Well at least this is one perk..."_

Once the assembled group had finished their meal the Millennium Earl once again focused his gaze on the newcomer. The young man who was sitting beside Road seemed to be experiencing sensory overload and this caused the Earl's perpetual smile to widen.

The boy would adjust in time.

"Now that we're all full and content..." The voice of the Earl served to gain the attention of not only Nicholas but that of the other Noah as well. All eyes turned once more toward the head of the table. "I think we should adjourn to the sitting room for a quiet evening. After all, we so seldom spend any time together as a family."

A few people grumbled complaints under their breath but when the Earl rose and left the room, slowly but surely the rest of the group followed suit. Road once again looped her arm in Nicholas' and she proceeded to pull him down the corridor to a large sitting room. The boy's eyes gazed around his new surroundings, taking everything in. The sitting room was huge, with several comfortable looking chairs and a roaring fireplace. Nicholas thought that the room appeared cold, despite it's size and grandeur, but his outlook brightened as his searching gaze fell upon a grand piano that was positioned in one corner of the room. It was a gleaming black, with ivory and ebony keys that looked as though they had never been touched.

Walking toward the instrument as though compelled by some other worldly force Nicholas made his way over to the piano and sat down. Having been forced to release her grip on his arm Road followed her new brother and stood beside him as he reached out one shaking hand toward the piano's keys.

The Millennium Earl instantly focused his gaze on this new child.

_**"Give in to the memories... the Noah of Praise will be reborn..."**_

This was a familiar request by this point and, completely ignoring the voice in his head, Nicholas poised his hands over the keys and began to play the by now familiar lullaby. This was the song that he played most often and as always the strange energy began to swirl around him as he sang softly. But this time was different... this time the energy was vastly more powerful.

The Earl could feel the energy that had grown to surround the boy and it actually sent chills down his spine. It actually sent chills down the spine of the Millennium Earl... This child would be powerful, once the memories inside of him fully awakened and he gave way to the Noah. The perpetual grin on his face widened, making him appear somewhat demented, as he thought about how useful this boy would be to his plans.

As the music filled the room the members of the Clan of Noah gathered around the piano and listened as their new brother played the haunting lullaby. They were drawn to the music, almost as though they were compelled to listen whether they wanted to or not.

When the final notes of the song faded into oblivion Nicholas gazed up and jumped slightly upon finding himself completely surrounded by his odd assortment of new siblings. They were all staring at him and this made him somewhat uncomfortable. "Okay," the boy said, waving one gloved hand as though this would serve to send his unwanted audience away. "You can all go away now..."

"They were just enjoying the song," Road said as she wrapped her arms around Nicholas and placed her head on his shoulder.

"Um..." Nicholas quickly extricated himself from Road's grip and got to his feet, causing the piano stool to scrape loudly across the floor in his haste. He briefly ran one gloved hand over the piano's keys in a reverent fashion, a smile on his face. This piano had a much clearer sound than the one that he was used to playing and he attributed the difference in the song to that fact.

"The song really was pretty..."

Nicholas' eyes widened.

"Aww..." a feminine voice called out from a few feet away. Nicholas' gaze shifted to a tall woman who was dressed in a flowing black gown. She had wavy black hair, part of which fell over her right eye, and the boy recalled that her name was Sophia and that she held the memory of wisdom. "I think that you've embarrassed the poor boy Road."

"I'm not embarrassed," Nicholas said quickly, even though he could feel the warmth of a blush on his face.

"That's so cute!" Sophia exclaimed, rushing over to the young man and pulling him into a tight embrace.

Completely mortified by this sudden and overly familiar action on the part of a woman that he had just met Nicholas fought to extricate himself from Sophia's grasp. The woman gazed at the struggling young man for a few moments before she abruptly released her grip on him, causing Nicholas to fall to the ground. "You are different than the rest of us, Noah of Praise."

Sophia's voice had changed with this last statement, becoming somewhat deeper, and Nicholas gazed at her, a thoughtful expression in his golden eyes. _"Okay, I have officially arrived at the asylum." _This woman, the Noah of Wisdom, acted as though she suffered from disassociative personality disorder and Nicholas was thoroughly freaked out by that.

_"Am I the only normal one here?" _he found himself thinking as his gaze once again surveyed the group.

As time passed and the young man grew acquainted with the memories and power that resided within him, Nicholas would think back on this day and laugh at himself for ever having thought that he was normal. In all honestly he was the weirdest one in the group, he simply hadn't been able to see it at the time. His eyes had been blinded but the light of truth would soon shine through.

* * *

Having completed all of the chores that went along with running the small farm that he called home Mana wandered back into the sitting room; the last place where he had seen his brother. Entering the room he walked over to the piano and sat down, idly tapping a few random notes.

It sounded horrible.

_"Why is it that whenever Nicholas does this it sounds beautiful?"_ Mana thought to himself as he ran his hands over the keys without pressing down. He had no talent when it came to music and it wouldn't do him any good to pretend otherwise.

The simple answer to that question was that his brother possessed a gift. He had taken to the piano immediately and had taught himself to play the most beautiful songs. Shaking his head Mana got to his feet and walked away from the piano, his thoughts focused on his brother.

"Where are you now Nicholas? Are you alright?"

* * *

As the evening progressed Nicholas found himself asked by the Millennium Earl to play the piano several times. After the first time he ceased playing the lullaby and focused on something a little more lively and up tempo. The music produced the same result however and the strange energy continued to circulate around him.

The Millennium Earl nodded his head as he listened to the music and felt the pulse of energy that each note summoned forth. He could tell, by the eratic way that the energy flowed about, that the child had yet to give in to the memories but when he did...

_"He will be powerful," _the Earl thought to himself. _"Perhaps the most powerful of all."_

A/N - hope that you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review and tell me what you thought. Sorry if Road seems OOC but she's bonding with her brother. She'll turn back into her usual, sadistic self later on in the story. Thanks for reading.


	6. Noah

Disclaimer - I do not own D Gray Man

Chapter Six - Noah

During the first week that he spent as a resident of Lord Millennium's manor Nicholas learned a great deal about the members of the Clan of Noah in general and about himself in particular. Each Noah had unique memories and powers that went along with their gifts. Nicholas was the Noah of Praise and his gifts coincided with the music that he played.

_**"Give in to the memories... the Noah of Praise shall be reborn..."**_

"Oh for the love of..." Nicholas muttered as he stopped playing the piano to listen to the now familiar voice. It was growing annoying and he was ready to give in to anything if only he could somehow reclaim the sanity that this ordeal seemed to have taken from him. "I'll give in... just tell me what you want me to do."

Nicholas once again placed fingers to keys but this time the song that came forth was totally different from any other that he had ever played. This song seemed to come from his very soul and the energy that it produced swirled around him and he instantly knew what the voice had been speaking of.

The memories of Praise awakened within his mind and he knew.

* * *

When the Millennium Earl assembled his family for the evening meal that night he noticed that all of the Noah arrived promptly, save for one. The Noah of Praise seemed to have either missed the summons or was choosing not to listen.

He really hoped, for the boy's sake, that it was the first.

"Has anyone seen the Musician?" This was what the Millennium Earl had taken to calling the mahogany haired boy named Nicholas, owing to his power over music. And it was a title that the other Noah had adopted when referring to their newest member.

"Last time I saw him he was in the sitting room playing the piano," Road said absently, thinking to herself that Lord Millennium really should have known where the Musician could be found. It wasn't that hard, he was predictable like that.

"I hope that you will forgive me for being late Lord Millennium," a voice suddenly called out from across the room. All eyes shifted to the door as Nicholas entered the dining room, dressed in what appeared to be a different tuxedo than the one he had worn to all previous family gatherings. This one was similar, with black trousers, white shirt with a charcoal gray vest over it, black top coat with tails and top hat. However the bowtie that he wore at his throat was adorned with a white music note in the center and his top hat appeared as though it had sheet music wrapped around it.

"Not at all dear boy," the Earl said, gesturing toward the boy's customary seat beside Road.

As Nicholas sat down beside her Road glanced at the Noah of Praise out of the corner of her eye and she immediately noticed that the look in his golden eyes was somehow different now. The look of confusion and indecision was gone, replaced by a look of arrogance.

_"He found the Noah," _she thought to herself, excited for the boy. Now her new sibling would be really fun to play with and, unable to contain her happiness, she bounced slightly in her seat. Now that Nicholas had given in to the memories of the Noah within he would be free of all of the moral baggage that the inferior human race carried along with them.

Now he would truly be a part of their chosen family.

Nicholas could feel all eyes still upon him as he sat down amongst his family members and he offered them all a roguish grin, different entirely from the shaky smile that he had offered them in previous encounters. It was almost as though he were a completely different person now than when he had first arrived at the manor. The Noah of Praise was confident and he exuded this confidence as he joined the other Noah for their meal.

When the meal was over Nicholas excused himself politely and exited the dining room, followed closely behind by Road who had leapt to her feet the moment the Noah of Praise had stood. Giggling she raced after him and followed her favorite sibling into the sitting room.

"Are you going to play the piano again?" she whined as the young man walked across the room.

"I had planned on it," Nicholas said in a calm tone of voice, gazing at the young girl over his shoulder. "But I take it from your tone that you would prefer that I do something different."

"We should go out and have some fun," Road said in a petulant voice.

Nicholas turned and focused his golden eyed gaze on the First Child. The Noah of Dreams was the first Noah to have awakened to her powers in this generation and as such this made her special in the eyes of the Millennium Earl. Which had made her somewhat spoiled, Nicholas had learned. With a sigh he decided that he had no choice but to give in to her demands. After all, if he didn't then she would simply annoy him so much that playing the piano in peace would only be a wish.

Not to mention the fact that she held the power to haunt him in his dreams, or so she kept saying.

"So," the young man said, removing his top hat and running a hand through his charcoal colored hair. Placing the hat back on top of the unruly strands, Nicholas focused his gaze on the young girl. "Pray tell, what did you have in mind Miss Road?"

Road giggled and grasped Nicholas by the hands. "Come on. You'll see once we get there."

"Of course I will," Nicholas said with a sigh, allowing Road to pull him along. The girl led him out of the sitting room and down the hallway to a room that Nicholas had never ventured inside. Pushing the door open Road pulled Nicholas inside the room and then released her grip on his hand and twirled around happily. Nicholas gazed around this new room and saw that it was filled with strange doors.

The young boy arched one eyebrow. "What's with all the doors?"

"They lead to different places," Road explained as she walked toward the central doorway. "My powers allow me to travel through space and time. Lord Millennium can do it to but he requires Noah's Ark."

Nicholas had heard about Noah's Ark from the Millennium Earl but it had yet to be shown to him. He had been told that the Millennium Earl used the Ark to travel from place to place and he had to admit that he was somewhat curious about it. But at the present moment that wasn't important right now.

"So where exactly are you taking us?" Nicholas inquired.

"To my special place," was all that Road would tell him.

Now Nicholas had to admit that he was somewhat curious but there was also a trace of concern in his golden eyes as he watched Road open the central door. He had no idea what was in store for him through that door but he was determined to find out. The new Nicholas, the Noah of Praise, held no fear and he quickly walked over to the spot where Road was standing with her hand held out to him.

Acting the part of the true gentleman Nicholas took the hand that Road was holding out to him, leaned forward, and placed a kiss to the back of it. For her part Road was completely shocked by this action and her face actually warmed with a blush.

She, the Noah of Dreams, was blushing.

"Come," Nicholas said, completely ignoring her reaction to his kiss. "You said that you wanted to have some fun so let's go."

Snapping back to the present Road nodded and proceeded to pull the Noah of Praise through the door that led into her domain. The place that she had, until now, kept completely to herself. Road wasn't entirely certain why she wished to share this place with Nicholas and yet she couldn't deny the fact that she did.

As the two Noah entered the room Road released her grip on her companion's hand and Nicholas gazed around the room that Road had called her special place. He was somewhat surprised to find himself surrounded by brightly colored boxes that looked like gifts and multi colored candles like those that you would use for a birthday celebration.

Nicholas gazed over at the spot where Road was standing, raising one eyebrow in confusion.

A smile spread across Road's face as she held up her hand and then, with a flick of her wrist, sent a barrage of candles toward her brother. Nicholas was forced to jump to the side, to avoid getting stabbed by the candles which had pointy tips, and he glared at Road as he rolled across the floor. "Is this your idea of fun?" he demanded, getting to his feet and dusting off his tuxedo. The top hat had fallen from his head but he made no move to retrieve it, sensing that this battle was not yet over.

"Well," Road said, drawing out the word as she once again raised her hand and prepared more candles for yet another attack. "Lord Millennium said that I should test you and find out how you would fair in a battle so..."

Road's voice trailed off here and she once again dropped her hand, sending the candles sailing toward Nicholas. The Noah of Praise glared at the candles, irritation evident in his golden eyes, and hummed a little tune. The candles froze in mid-air, suspended as though blocked by some invisible barrier.

Road's eyes narrowed as she watched the Musician block her attack. This wasn't something that she had been expecting from the new Noah and she had to admit that she was surprised and, to a small degree, impressed with the fact that he had been able to block the candles. He was learning his powers far faster than most of the others but she was certain that he was still no match for her.

After all she was the First while he was only the Fourteenth.

"Not bad," Road said as she prepared for a different kind of attack. This was her world and here she could will anything into reality. She would not allow the Musician to make a fool out of her in her own domain, that was simply not acceptable.

For his part Nicholas kept a wary eye on his 'sister', knowing that the battle was not over and yet unable to figure out what she planned to do next. Nicholas knew that Road was the Noah of Dreams and he was fairly certain that in this realm she would reign supreme. "Wonderful..." he muttered to himself as he hummed his soft tune, causing the candles that had hung in the air to drop to the ground. "And all I wanted to do was spend a quiet evening playing the piano."

"You can go back to your piano," Road said, having heard the Musician's whispered complaints. "Assuming you survive."

Nicholas had but a moment to contemplate whether or not she would actually kill him before yet another attack was launched toward him. This time Nicholas chose to dodge and then use his powers to redirect the attack, sending it back to Road.

This did not go over well and the Noah of Dreams intensified the strength of her attacks.

"Wonderful," Nicholas muttered as one of the candles grazed his arm, ripping the sleeve of his top coat and tearing the flesh of his arm. The wound was painful of course but the young man didn't have time to dwell on it or else he would only suffer more injuries.

Road was relentless.

She kept the attacks coming, seeming to enjoy Nicholas' pain. She wore a wide smile on her face as she watched Nicholas dodge and use his tune to block the attacks or change their direction. Even untrained he wasn't a half bad fighter and she could easily imagine that he would be powerful once he learned to control his powers a little more. They were shaky right now but that was only because they were new to him.

The Musician would learn.

Nicholas partially blocked a particularly fierce attack and then braced for more however Road suddenly dashed toward him and leapt onto his back, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "You did really well Nicky-pon!" she exclaimed as she placed her head on his right shoulder.

"What the hell?!" Nicholas exclaimed, shocked and irritated by this abrupt change in attitude.

"I had to test you," Road said, her voice sounding as though she couldn't figure out why he was so angry. "Lord Millennium wanted to know how you would fair in a fight. But now that I know you're free to go and play the piano now."

And with these words Road leapt from his back and opened the door of her special place. With a sigh Nicholas collected his top hat and left the room but, instead of making his way to the sitting room, the young man returned to his room. He was covered in blood and sweat, not to mention the fact that his tuxedo was ripped almost to shreds, and all he wanted to do was take a bath.

"Some family this is," he muttered as he removed his ruined tuxedo. "My new 'sister' just tried to kill me and then acted as though nothing were wrong."

The young man made his way across his room to his private bath, where he filled the tub with hot water. The steam rose into the air as Nicholas eased himself into the bath, allowing the water's heat to soothe his sore muscles. He may have lost this battle with his 'sister' but he was determined to learn to fully control his powers so that there would never be a repeat of today's performance.

It was true that the Musician was new to his powers and as a result couldn't fully control them but what he lacked in experience he was prepared to fully compensate for with sheer determination. He would become strong and then...

"And then what?" Nicholas laughed to himself. "Lord Millennium has yet to reveal to me our purpose for gathering together. I may know about my powers now but I still don't know about my purpose..."

Perhaps the day would come soon when the Millennium Earl would share with him their grand scheme. He knew that something was going on but he had yet to figure out exactly what it was. But maybe this little test that he had been given by Road would bring him closer to discovering why he had been brought to this place.

A/N - and there's another chapter. I hope that you enjoyed, please leave a review and tell me what you thought.


	7. Brothers

Disclaimer - I do not own D Gray Man

Chapter Seven - Brothers

After the first month spent with the Millennium Earl, during which Nicholas learned how to use his powers as a Noah, the young man decided that it was time for him to return and check on the brother that he was actually related to by blood. His thoughts had often been focused on Mana during this time of training and Nicholas was anxious to see his brother, whom he had missed.

"Where are you going Nicky-pon?" Road asked, walking up behind the Noah of Praise.

"Please do not call me that," the Musician said, running a hand through his mahogany hair to slick it back before he placed his top hat upon his head. The Millennium Earl had started this obnoxious nickname and Road had picked up on it. Nicholas suspected that they only used it because they both knew how much he despised it but that was only a theory on his part.

"I bet you don't tell Lord Millennium not to call you that," Road said.

"Yes I do," Nicholas said, turning to face the girl with a glaring look in his gray eyes.

"Well aren't you a brave one," Road taunted, fixing the young man with a piercing stare. "So where are you going anyway? I thought that we could go out and have some fun but it looks like you already have plans."

"I'm going out," was all the reply that Nicholas was willing to give. The Musician wasn't certain how his 'family' would feel about the fact that he was going to visit his human brother and he had decided to keep it a secret from the others. "I'll be back eventually."

"Fine," Road said in a petulant voice.

The Noah of Dreams watched as her 'brother' departed the manor and then she turned and walked away. Road was bored out of her mind and desperate to find something fun to do. And since her favorite sibling had left there was only one course of action left to her.

Lero.

* * *

When Nicholas arrived at the small farm where he had been raised, practically by his older brother, he had mixed feelings about being back. On the one hand he was happy that he would be able to see his brother again and yet on the other he had finally managed to escape this ignoble lifestyle and now he was back.

He had never really been happy on the farm, having always yearned for something more out of life. That was part of the reason why he had been prepared to go with the Millennium Earl and why he desperately wanted to believe that there was something special about him.

Removing his top hat so that he could once again run his hands through his thick, mahogany hair, Nicholas gazed out at the small farm from the top of a hill. This was a nervous gesture that he was prone to and, although it irritated him, the young man found himself unable to stop.

_"Why am I nervous?" _he thought to himself as he replaced his top hat. He had thought that he was finished being the insecure youth but apparently he hadn't managed to banish his old self completely. _"I'm only going to visit my brother. The brother who practically raised me."_

In the back of his mind Nicholas knew the reason for his nervousness; it was just that he didn't want to admit it to himself. He was nervous to visit his brother because he wasn't the same person who had left the farm a month ago. He had given in to the memories of Noah and now he was... different.

He was the Noah of Praise.

The Musician.

"But I'm still his brother," the young man muttered. Taking a deep breath Nicholas descended from the hill and made his way toward the house. His steps were quick, despite his nerves, and soon the young man was standing at the front door.

Nicholas reached out toward the door knob but changed his mind before his gloved hand actually touched it. This wasn't really his home anymore, after all, so it wouldn't be polite for him to simply barge in unannounced. In stead the young man chose to knock and then to wait.

A few minutes passed and then the door opened to reveal a very confused looking Mana Walker. "Can I help..."

"Hello Mana," Nicholas said, removing his top hat and offering his brother a small and polite bow. The young man offered his brother a roguish smile as he straightened up and waited for his older brother to say something. It looked as though the proverbial cat had grabbed hold of his brother's tongue and for a few minutes all Mana could do was stare at him.

"Nicholas!" Mana exclaimed, finally recovering his voice. He quickly pulled his brother into a hug and then held the boy at arm's length so that he could get a good look at him. "Look at you. You look like the perfect gentleman Nicholas. Your hair's gotten longer as well."

Nicholas shrugged. "It's been a month."

"It has been a month," Mana said, his brown eyes narrowing as he gave the boy a little shake. "What do you mean disappearing for a month anyway? Not one word to let me know that you were okay."

"I'm sorry Mana," Nicholas said, fixing his brother with his stormy gray eyes.

"Come inside," Mana ordered, releasing his hold on the young man's shoulders. Mana turned and stepped back inside the house and, after a few seconds in which he debated whether or not he really wanted to follow his brother, Nicholas did the same. The young man closed the door behind himself and then turned to once again look at his brother.

"I see that those strange little wounds have healed," Mana commented as he led the way back to the sitting room. "And they didn't even leave scars."

"That's not entirely true," Nicholas said in a quiet voice. Taking a deep breath he changed into his Noah form and then waited for his brother's reaction.

"So you can still do that huh?"

"Yea," Nicholas said, allowing the Noah to fade and resuming his 'white' persona. "Among other things."

Nicholas had been undecided as to how much information he was going to share with his brother but now that he was standing in front of Mana the boy made his decision. For better or for worse he was going to tell his brother everything. The young man couldn't deny the fact that he was somewhat worried about how his brother would feel about him once he knew the truth of who and what he really was but at the same time he knew that Mana deserved to know the truth.

He owed his brother that much.

Mana listened in silence as his little brother explained in detail all that had happened to him in the month that he had been gone. Explained about the Millennium Earl and the other people who held the memories of Noah. Then, when the boy had finished his story, he gazed at his brother with a beseeching look in his gray eyes. Mana's eyes widened as he realized that the boy, his fearless younger brother, was actually afraid right now.

Afraid that he would be rejected by his brother.

Chuckling softly Mana pulled his brother into his embrace. "I knew that getting you that piano was a good idea."

A wide smile spread across Nicholas' face as he realized that his brother was choosing to accept him for the person that he truly was. This knowledge brought a wave of relief to him and he released a breath that he hadn't even realized that he had been holding.

"Thank you Mana."

"So Mr. Musician," Mana said, offering the kid a smile that was meant to relieve some of the tension that had fallen upon the two of them. He pointed toward the piano, which was still situated in it's spot against the wall. "Why don't you play a song and let me see how much you've improved?"

Nicholas walked over to the piano and gazed down at the old instrument. It was far less glamorous than the one that he had at the manor and yet Nicholas couldn't keep the smile from spreading across his face as he placed a gloved hand upon the keys. It was obvious that Mana had kept it cleaned and dusted and it almost looked as though someone was still playing it. "Have you been playing Mana?"

The younger of the two siblings glanced over his shoulder just in time to catch the blush that colored the face of his older brother.

"You have!" Nicholas said, grinning.

"Badly," Mana admitted. "But yes, I have."

He had needed to feel connected to the brother that he was sure that he had lost and so he had taken to playing the piano every evening. However he had reached the conclusion rather quickly that he had never been meant for music.

"I'm sure it's not that bad," Nicholas said as he sat down on the piano stool. "I tell you what. I'll play for you but only if you agree to play for me."

"What?" Mana exclaimed, his eyes growing to nearly double their normal size. "That isn't fair Nicholas."

"I think it's only fair," Nicholas replied, a roguish grin spreading across his boyishly handsome face. "That's the deal. Take it or leave it."

"Fine," Mana said, looking thoroughly annoyed by the fact that his brother had just blackmailed him. But he really wanted to hear Nicholas play and for this reason knew that he would have to give in to the boy's demand. This didn't mean that he had to be happy about it though.

Still smirking Nicholas turned and poised his hands above the keys of the piano upon which he had learned to play. The boy permitted his mind to wander and allowed his subconscious to chose the song that he was to play. Seconds later the notes of the lullaby filled the room and a smile spread across Mana's face.

This had been the song that he had wanted to hear and even though he hadn't asked it of him this was the song that Nicholas had chosen to play.

As the song progressed Nicholas began to sing and, to his amazement, Mana's voice soon joined in with his own. Of course he had played this song for his brother before but the boy hadn't realized that Mana had memorized the lyrics.

Their voices harmonized nicely together as the two brothers sang the Musician's Song.

Then, when the last notes faded away into nothing, Nicholas whirled around on the piano stool and gazed up at his older brother. "Wow Mana, I'm impressed. I didn't know that you could sing."

"I can't," Mana replied, shoving his brother and causing the boy to topple from the piano stool.

Nicholas made a disgruntled noise as he landed on the floor. Laughing softly to himself Mana took his brother's place and placed his hands upon the keys. A few seconds passed, during which Nicholas got up from the floor and dusted off his tuxedo, and then the soft notes began to fill the air.

The Musician's eyes widened as he listened to the song that his brother was playing and he had to admit that he was impressed. Like he himself Mana had never had a piano lesson in his life and yet here he was playing. And unlike himself Mana didn't possess some strange powers that enabled him to play.

"Wow," the boy whispered once Mana had finished his song.

"Yes I know," Mana said as he got to his feet and hastily turned away from the piano. "It's awful but I played for you so now let's move on."

The song had been far from awful but when Nicholas tried to tell him this fact Mana just shook his head. "You don't have to lie to me to make me feel better Nicholas. I know that I don't have any talent and I'm perfectly okay with this fact. Now come on, you must be starving. I'll make us something to eat."

"Okay," Nicholas said in a quiet voice.

* * *

The two brothers spent the remainder of the day catching up on what the other had done in the month that they had been separated. Both Mana and Nicholas were grateful for the company of the other and they spent a great deal of time just talking.

So long in fact that Nicholas was surprised when he gazed out the window and saw only darkness.

Pulling a pocket watch from the pocket of his vest Nicholas flipped it open and saw that it was nearing ten o'clock. He and his brother had been talking for hours and he hadn't even noticed the passing of time. But now that he knew how late it was the young man got hastily to his feet. "I'm sorry Mana but I really have to go."

Mana wanted to object to the fact that his little brother was leaving yet again but he forced himself to hold his tongue. Nicholas was his own man and no matter how much Mana might want to he couldn't make the kid's decisions for him.

He had a bad feeling about this crowd that his brother had fallen in with but he knew that he would have to trust in his little brother to do the right thing.

"Don't be a stranger," Mana said as he got to his feet and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "I expect to see you sooner than next month. And if you can't come for a visit then at least send me a letter and let me know that you're okay."

"Yes Mana," Nicholas said, realizing that it really had been cruel to stay away for a month without so much as a word to his brother and vowing not to let it happen again.

"Take care Nicholas," Mana said as he and his brother made their way to the front door. Mana opened the door and watched as his brother once again left, his eyes straining to keep the boy in sight for as long as he could. "Please stay safe Nicky," he whispered, even though he knew that his brother couldn't hear him at this point.

A/N - Hope that you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review and tell me what you thought. And if you have any suggestions for this story then feel free to let me know in a PM. Thanks for reading. The Musician


	8. Noah's Ark

Disclaimer - I do not own D Gray Man

Chapter Eight - Noah's Ark

"We'll be back later Nicky-pon!" Road called out in an excited tone as she and the other members of the Clan of Noah prepared to depart for an unknown destination. The Noah of Praise had been informed that he had to remain behind and mind the manor while the others went out.

"Stop calling me that," Nicholas said, his eyes narrowing in irritation as he gazed over at the First Child. He couldn't recall exactly how many times he had asked her not to call him by that obnoxious nickname and yet she still persisted.

It was maddening.

Road merely laughed as she and the others departed, seemingly ignoring her 'brother's' irritation. She was very good at ignoring anything that went against her perception of the world. Nicholas had learned this fact early on in their relationship but that didn't mean that he had to be happy about it.

The Musician sighed as he watched the others depart and then he made his way to the room that he had called home since his arrival at the manor. Stepping inside he removed his top hat and his top coat and hung them on a coat rack that was positioned in the corner. Since he was home alone there was no need to be so stuffy and formal and he really did feel better dressed only in his black trousers, white button up shirt and gray vest. This attire was much more comfortable after all.

"Well," the boy said once he had hung up his top coat. "I guess I'll find some way to amuse myself until everyone returns."

* * *

Nicholas was seated in a chair in front of the fire place, his golden eyed gazed focused on the pages of a book that he had been pretending to read for the past hour and a half. His concentration was elsewhere and he merely held the book open in front of him, his mind refusing to take in any of the words. After reading the same sentence five times the boy gave up and allowed his thoughts to wander.

His visit with Mana had focused his thoughts on all of the aspects of his new life that he couldn't explain. While it was true that he had learned a great deal about the members of the Clan of Noah as well as the memories that they possessed he was still woefully ignorant about why exactly they had been gathered together by the Millennium Earl. The head of this strange 'family' had yet to share this particular piece of information with him and Nicholas was forced to wonder why.

Was there some reason why Lord Millennium had yet to share that information with him?

The young man was jarred from these thoughts by the sounds caused by someone entering the sitting room. Now Nicholas had thought that he had the manor to himself since the other members of the Clan of Noah had made themselves scarce earlier in the day and the boy glanced around to see who it was that was paying him a visit.

Nicholas' eyes widened as his gaze fell upon the person who had entered the room. He had to admit that he was somewhat surprised by the identity of the new arrival, whom he had thought gone for the day. "Lord Millennium..."

"I have a lesson planned for you today dear boy," the Millennium Earl said as he walked across the room toward the chair where Nicholas was sitting. Closing the book that he had been staring at for the past couple of hours the Musician gazed up at the Earl, a questioning expression in his golden eyes. "Come."

Without questioning the Earl's orders, or at least not questioning them out loud, Nicholas placed his book down on the end table and got to his feet. The young man quickly fell into step behind the Millennium Earl and together the two of them made their way down a long corridor to a part of the manor that Nicholas had never visited. His eyes surveyed his surroundings, taking everything in.

Reaching a hand out the Earl opened a door and then made a motion with his hand that told Nicholas, as plain as words would have, that he was to enter the room first. Taking a deep breath Nicholas entered the room, followed closely behind by the Earl who closed the door behind the two of them. Once again Nicholas surveyed his surroundings however he paused as his searching gaze fell upon a black piano that was positioned in the center of the room.

"Lord Millennium..." the boy began.

"This is the Heart of Noah's Ark," the Earl explained in answer to the boy's unasked question. "It controls all of the Ark's powers... And now, dear boy, we're going to see if YOU can control it."

Nicholas' eyes opened wide as he heard these words. Was the man serious? Was he actually proposing that he attempt to operate Noah's Ark? The first thoughts that he'd had about the Earl returned in full force and Nicholas once again wondered if he were slightly mad.

The Musician didn't say any of this but merely walked over to the gleaming black piano. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that the Earl was gazing at him with a strange look in his eyes and Nicholas had to admit that this unnerved him somewhat.

But he would never show it.

The Noah of Praise was confident and, without waiting for the Earl's instructions to do so, Nicholas sat down at the piano. The Millennium Earl walked up to him at this point and quickly taught him the song that he used to control the Ark. The Musician was a quick study and he was soon able to replicate the song that the Earl used to control the Ark flawlessly but for some reason that he couldn't understand it seemed wrong to him somehow.

But, however wrong it may have seemed, it was effective and the perpetual smile on the Earl's face only grew wider as he watched the Ark respond to the song that the boy was playing. He wasn't using it to travel through the dimensions but the Earl realized that he could if he so desired. The Ark was definitely responding to his control. That made the Musician one of only three people who could use the Ark.

And that made him special in the Earl's eyes.

"Well done dear boy," the Millennium Earl said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I have some business to attend to so I'll leave you here to practice."

"As you wish, Lord Millennium," the boy said, inclining his head politely.

Nicholas watched as the Millennium Earl departed the room and then he turned his attention back to the piano at which he was seated. He once again played the song that the Earl had taught him and once again he got the strange feeling that it wasn't the correct song.

The voice inside of him was telling him that he should be playing something else; the true song of Noah's Ark.

"I wonder..." the young man muttered, deciding to listen to the voice in his head and play the song that it was requesting from him.

The lullaby.

It seemed as though the Ark was telling him to play the strange lullaby that had emerged at the same time that he had ascended to his powers as a Noah. Now in the time that had passed since that fateful day Nicholas had learned that the lullaby, combined with his will, could shape reality and the boy found himself wondering if the same held true for controlling the Ark.

Touching his hands to the piano keys the Musician began to play, and as the notes flowed from the piano, the boy imagined the farm where he had been born and raised. The home that he had shared with Mana until the Earl had came for him.

As always when Nicholas played, an energy seemed to swirl around him, and the boy was lost to the music. This phenomenon was accompanied by a feeling of exhilaration that Nicholas reveled in and a smile spread across his face.

Once he had completed the song the Musician got to his feet and made his way over to the single door that lead from the room. Reaching out slowly with a trembling hand, Nicholas turned the knob and pulled the door open. Sunlight spilled into the room, forcing the young man to hold up his arm to shield his eyes and block out the rays of the sun.

As his vision cleared Nicholas saw that he was no longer in the manor of the Millennium Earl but was in fact at the farm that he had once called home, along with his brother. "Amazing," the young man breathed as he gazed around. He desperately wanted to go and tell his brother about this strange occurrence but he knew that he could not. The Millennium Earl still did not know the identity of his brother and Nicholas wanted to keep it that way.

At least until he knew everything that was going on.

With one last, long look at the countryside, Nicholas turned and stepped back inside the Ark. Walking once more to the piano Nicholas stood over the instrument and played the lullaby, willing the Ark to return to it's original location.

Which, of course, it did.

Turning away from the Heart Nicholas watched as the door to the room opened and the Earl once again made an appearance. There was a strange gleam in his eyes as he walked across the room to the spot where the Musician was standing.

"I felt the Ark's powers leave this place," the Earl said as he gazed at the boy.

"Yes, Lord Millennium," Nicholas said, masking the slight apprehension that he was feeling. The Noah of Praise held no fear and he refused to show any, not even to the Earl. His gaze did not falter under the Earl's scrutiny. "I have learned to control the Ark with a different song."

For his part the Millennium Earl didn't even look remotely surprised by this new development. He had felt the strength that had circulated around the Musician whenever he played that haunting lullaby and he'd had the feeling that this was the true song that controlled the Ark.

For the Musician was the true master of Noah's Ark.

The Earl was able to control it with the song that he had written however complete control had always proven elusive. This was because the Musician was the only one who held true power over the Ark and now that the Noah of Praise had joined their ranks they would be able to fully utilize the powers that the Ark possessed. For the first time since the first generation.

The perpetual smile that the Earl wore grew wider. He had known that the Noah of Praise was special, even among the chosen children, and he had been correct in that assumption. All that remained was for the Earl to make use of the boy's gifts.

"Well done," the Earl said, placing his hand on the young man's shoulders and gazing into his golden eyes. "Now you are truly a member of our family. Come, we shall have a feast to celebrate the occasion." The Earl paused at this point, his gaze surveying Nicholas' appearance which he seemed to find completely unacceptable for a member of his esteemed family. "But first you must change into more acceptable attire."

"As you wish Lord Millennium," Nicholas said, inclining his head politely.

After leaving Noah's Ark Nicholas parted ways with the Millennium Earl and made his way back to his room. When he arrived at the lavish suite that belonged to him the boy sat down on the edge of the bed and ran a hand through his gray hair. The nervous gesture was back but who could blame him for being somewhat apprehensive?

After all the Earl had just told him that he was a true member of the family now.

Nicholas had mixed feelings about this statement from the head of their family. On the one hand the boy had wanted to be accepted but on the other hand he still didn't know why their so called family had assembled. He had been told that the Millennium Earl had a plan but he hadn't been privy to the information concerning that plan.

He wouldn't show his fear to anyone; never again would he be that weak. Only when he was in the privacy of his own domain would he allow himself to feel the fear. Nicholas could fight against it and he was determined to beat it. The Noah of Praise was fearless and that was the persona that he was determined to portray to the other members of the Clan of Noah.

As well as to the Earl himself.

"I suppose I should get ready for dinner," the boy absently thought to himself once he had regained his composure. Getting to his feet he ran his hand through his hair one final time and then walked over to the coat rack where he had deposited his top hat and top coat earlier in the day. Reaching out he took the coat and shrugged it on, then grabbed the top hat and placed it on top of his charcoal gray hair. Finally he adjusted the bow tie that he wore at his collar.

All of this was done mechanically; Nicholas had allowed himself to go into auto pilot while he thought about this celebration that the Earl had said would be in his honor. He could practically see the looks on the faces of the other Noah.

They would be surprised.

Nicholas had to admit that a small part of him was pleased that he could do something that the others could not. After all, since he was only the Fourteenth, they had the tendency to look at him as though he were inferior. With the exception of Road but that was a different story entirely.

A roguish grin spread across the young man's face as he thought about how shocked everyone was going to be and Nicholas found himself in a fairly good mood as he left his suite and made his way toward the dining room. He was the last to arrive for the family meal and the Millennium Earl offered him a wide smile as he entered the room. It was difficult to determine when the Earl was smiling at you, due to the fact that his mouth held a perpetual grin, but Nicholas was learning.

And in this moment he could tell that the Millennium Earl was happy.

"Welcome Noah of Praise," he called out, gesturing for the Musician to take the vacant chair that was positioned to his right hand side. This was out of the ordinary but Nicholas hid his confusion well as he strolled across the room and casually took the chair that was offered to him. Once the Musician had taken his place the Earl addressed the assembled Noah, a gleam in his eyes. "My children, from this day forward the Musician shall be in charge of Noah's Ark. The job of traveling through the dimensions lies with him."

Nicholas surreptitiously surveyed the faces of his gathered 'family' and was not disappointed by their expressions of complete and utter shock. A roguish grin spread across his face, enjoying this moment far more than he cared to admit.

A/N - and there's the end of another chapter and Nicholas has been given control of the Ark. I foresee that coming back to haunt the Earl but we'll burn that bridge when we come to it. Hope that you enjoyed, please leave a review and tell me what you thought.


	9. The Exorcists

Disclaimer - I do not own D Gray Man

Chapter Nine - The Exorcists

Road Kamelot had been given a mission by the Millennium Earl and now she was making her way down a long corridor in the manor, seeking out some help for said mission. The Earl had instructed for her to take her newest 'brother' along on the mission and introduce him to their enemies and Road had to admit that she was somewhat excited about seeing how the Musician would fair against the Exorcists.

Almost excited enough to forget about the fact that they weren't allowed to show themselves to the Exorcists. They were just supposed to observe them but that really wasn't very much fun.

And Road didn't like doing things that weren't fun. Hence the reason why she was so excited about bringing Nicholas along for the ride. That should help relieve some of the boredom at least.

With this thought in mind the girl quickly made her way down the corridor toward the sitting room. She was fairly confident that she would find her 'brother' there, sitting at the piano and playing something. Most likely some sad little tune or that haunting lullaby that he was so fond of.

Didn't really matter to her, all of it was depressing.

She couldn't understand why the Musician insisted on playing things like that but that seemed to be just the way that he was. Which was irritating at times but Road found that she could forgive him for this flaw; he was, after all, her favorite sibling.

When she reached the sitting room Road quickly opened the door and a smile spread across her face as her searching gaze fell upon her gray haired 'brother'. Now Road much preferred his hair color in his human form however it was rare for her to see him in his 'white' persona, much to her dismay. And of course she had been correct in her assumption; the young man was indeed seated at the piano. A smile spread across her face as she called out to him.

"Nicholas!"

The Musician could tell, merely by the way in which Road called out to him, that his 'sister' wanted something from him. After all if this hadn't been the case then she would most likely have called him Nicky-pon or something along those lines. But since she knew that he abhorred that nickname she never used it when she wanted something from her brother.

Calling him by his actual given name seemed to be something like a peace offering as far as she was concerned.

"What is it Road?" the young man asked, turning around and gazing across the room at Road.

"We're going on a mission!" Road exclaimed as she ran forward and leapt onto the young man's back. She was so happy that the Earl had decided to send the two of them on this mission together because her newest 'brother' was so much fun. "I'm so excited!"

Nicholas was somewhat surprised by this knowledge and he gazed at Road over his shoulder, trying to discern whether she was playing a prank on him or something along those lines or if she were in fact speaking the truth. In all the time that he had been at the manor he had never been sent on a mission, as the other Noah had. Perhaps this had something to do with the Millennium Earl saying that he was now truly a member of their family.

His curiosity was piqued.

"So what exactly is this mission?" Nicholas asked as he got to his feet and turned fully toward his sister.

"We're going to spy on a group of Exorcists," Road told him in a sing-songy voice. Leaping to the ground she twirled around once more before seizing Nicholas by the arm and pulling him toward the door. "It's usually so boring because Lord Millennium doesn't want us to fight with them but since you're coming..."

"What are Exorcists?" Nicholas asked, having never heard the term before.

"Oh yea," Road said, nodding her head as she gazed at her gray haired 'brother'. "I keep forgetting that you don't know about the play. The Exorcists are the ones who want to fight against Lord Millennium... the enemy."

"What exactly..."

"I'll explain everything later!" Road exclaimed, roughly pulling Nicholas from the sitting room by his arm. Giving up on getting answers for the moment the Musician allowed the girl to pull him down the corridor however he stopped short as he realized where she was leading him.

This particular corridor only led to one place.

The Ark.

"Hold it," Nicholas said, using the fact that he was bigger and stronger to his advantage and pulling Road to a stop. He gazed at the girl, a demanding expression in his golden eyes. "Why exactly are you dragging me to Noah's Ark?"

"Because we're using the Ark to reach our destination," Road told her 'brother', gazing up at the Noah of Praise as though he had just asked the most obvious question possible. Personally she had thought that this was the obvious answer but apparently not.

"Oh of course!" Nicholas exclaimed, slapping his forehead with the palm of his hands. "We're using the Ark for transportation... how could I possibly have been so stupid?" The Musician paused at this point to glance at Road and when he did it was to find her nodding at his words. Apparently sarcasm was a foreign language as far as she was concerned. So he moved on. "Have you forgotten that I have absolutely no idea how to control the Ark? I mean seriously, I made it work once."

"And you'll make it work again," Road said, her voice confident. There was absolutely no doubt in her mind that her brother could and would make the Ark obey his will. He was the true master of the Ark after all so it was only natural that he should be able to effortlessly control it. "After all, you're the Musician. The Ark belongs to you."

Now this was news to Nicholas; he'd thought that the Ark belonged to the Millennium Earl but now Road was telling him that it was his. There was something seriously wrong with this picture but Nicholas realized that he didn't have the time to press the issue.

So he merely followed Road to the door that led into the Ark. She seemed so intent to leave for this mission so Nicholas decided to keep the peace and follow her, at least until he knew the full extent of what was going on.

Then he would move forward from there.

Never stop… keep walking… until the day you die.

These familiar words echoed through his mind as Nicholas stepped into the room in the Ark that housed the grand piano. Road paused a few feet from the instrument, releasing her hold on her 'brother' and allowing him to continue forward.

Moving forward slowly Nicholas once again took a seat on the stool that was positioned in front of the glossy black piano. He felt the familiar energy begin to swirl around him as he poised his fingers over the keys but he paused before he began to play, casting a questioning gaze over his shoulder in Road's direction. "So where exactly are we going?"

Road smiled as she gazed at the Noah of Praise. He made a perfect picture, seated at the piano. "We're going to London."

"Great," Nicholas muttered under his breath as he once again turned his full attention back to the piano. Of all the places that they could have gone why did their destination have to be England?

That was a little too close to home as far as the Musician was concerned.

But of course he couldn't say anything about it since he was still trying to keep the identity of his brother a secret from the rest of the Noah, as well as the Millennium Earl himself. He wasn't exactly certain why he felt the need to hide Mana's identity from his 'family' but he couldn't deny the fact that the feeling was there.

And Nicholas had learned to follow his instincts if he had learned nothing else.

But going to London should be okay as long as that was as far as they went. After all, it was far enough from the village where he had grown up for the chances of he and Road running into Mana to be virtually non existent.

Turning his attention back to the piano Nicholas placed his fingers on the keys and began to play. The familiar notes of the lullaby filled the air, swirling around and combining with the Ark's power.

Road's smile brightened as she, too, felt the powers of the Ark rise. This wasn't the first time that she had used the Ark for travel but it had never held this level of power when the Millennium Earl controlled it. "Lord Millennium was right," she thought to herself, nodding in approval as she gazed at her favorite sibling. "He will be essential to the upcoming war."

When the final notes faded into nothing Nicholas rose from the piano stool and turned to once again face his 'sister'. "There. Are you happy now?"

In answer to this question Road rushed forward and flung herself into Nicholas' arms. Forced to take a step back the Noah of Praise caught her none the less.

Even though his first impulse was to drop her.

"Ecstatically happy!" the young girl exclaimed as Nicholas placed her back on the ground. "Now come on Nicky-pon!"

"Of course," Nicholas thought to himself as he followed her toward the doorway that led from the Ark. Now that she had what she wanted Road had reverted to using the obnoxious nickname.

To better blend in with the population of London, Nicholas and Road assumed their 'white' personas before exiting the Ark. People would likely stare at two ashen skinned youths, which was something that neither of them wanted to deal with.

So it was just better to blend in with the population.

Together the two Noah stepped from the Ark, appearing in an alleyway in the city of London. Nicholas hadn't really planned it this way, not consciously at any rate, but was grateful none the less.

After all, it would be kind of hard to explain if they had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"Come on," Road said, seizing her 'brother' by the arm and pulling him from the alleyway. "We have to find the Exorcists! Lord Millennium wants to know what they're up to."

Nicholas was still confused however he followed along behind Road without protest. He would force the answers out of her later but for now all he wanted was to complete this so called mission and return to the manor.

Because this really was too close for comfort.

Road proceeded to drag Nicholas along by the hand, pulling him down the densely populated street. Nicholas followed along behind her willingly enough, weaving in and out of people. After all, he wanted to find out exactly what was going on.

Perhaps he would finally learn of the plans of Lord Millennium.

The two Noah traveled through London for a brief time, with Road leading the way. Then, after about half an hour of pointless walking, Nicholas pulled to a stop.

And, since Road was still gripping his hand, she was forced to stop as well. Which caused her to gaze up at the Musician with a petulant expression on her childlike face.

"Do you even know where you're going?" Nicholas asked, completely ignoring the look that his 'sister' was giving him. He was used to it a this point and it didn't even remotely concern him.

"We're looking for the Exorcists," Road said, as though the answer should have been obvious. "The Akuma are keeping them busy on the outskirts of town."

"Akuma…" This was yet another term that the Musician wasn't familiar with. He had heard the word spoken a couple of times by the other Noah but no one had ever bothered to explain it to him.

And of course he hadn't posed the question to any of them.

"Lord Millennium's master creations," Road said, a somewhat demented smile appearing on her face. "And the instrument he will use to destroy humanity!"

A strange light appeared in Nicholas' gray eyes as he heard these words spoken in the voice of a child. So that was what Lord Millennium was planning.

The Musician said nothing further as he and Road resumed their journey down the street. His thoughts were squarely focused on this newest discovery.

So the goal of Lord Millennium was the destruction of humanity. Nicholas' thoughts flashed back to his childhood days and he recalled how the other village children had picked on him. Even then he'd been different from everyone else and people had a hard time accepting someone who was different from themselves.

"Do I really care if humanity is destroyed?" the youth thought to himself as he walked along beside his 'sister'.

The image of his brother appeared in his mind's eye and the young man drew up short. He may not be a fan of people in general but Mana was very important to him.

"What is it Nicky-pon?" Road asked as the Noah of Praise came to a sudden stop, for absolutely no reason.

"It's nothing," Nicholas assured her, his voice quiet and calm. The picture of a refined gentleman.

Shaking her head Road continued along, her grip on Nicholas' hand tightening as though he were a small child that she had to keep from wandering off. He seemed somewhat distracted and she wanted to make sure that he actually made it to the sight where the Exorcists were battling the horde of Akuma sent after them by Lord Millennium.

"I'll protect him," the Musician vowed.

As the two members of the Clan of Noah approached the edge of town Nicholas heard the distinct sound of something exploding. He glanced down at Road, a questioning expression in his gray eyes. "What was that?"

"Seems like the Exorcists are still alive and kicking," Road said, a smile once again spreading across her face. "They must be more powerful than we thought."

Making sure to keep hidden Nicholas and Road made their way toward the sounds of fighting that could be heard above the noise of the city. And when they finally arrived at the battle sight their gazes fell upon two people fighting against…

Nicholas drew in his breath sharply as he caught sight of the 'things' that the two were fighting against. They weren't human, that much was obvious. As a matter of fact they appeared more machine than anything el

"Now for the fun," Road said, her eyes glued to the scene. It was obvious from her expression that she was enjoying the sight of the battle.

"Judgment!"

One of the humans, a tall man with flaming red hair, held up a gleaming silver revolver. He pointed the muzzle toward what Nicholas was assuming were the Akuma and pulled the trigger in rapid succession.

A volley of bullets flew from the barrel of the gun, resulting in several explosions. The nearest group of Akuma exploded and Nicholas heard the sounds of their screams as they perished.

And, along with these sounds, he felt an extreme anger building up inside him. An anger the likes of which he had never felt before in all his years of life.

"What… is this?" he growled.

"Oh," Road said, turning her attention back to her brother. She hadn't given any thought to the fact that he was relatively new to their family. "You're sensing their Innocence and the Noah inside of you is screaming for it's destruction."

"Innocence?" Yet another thing that he didn't know about.

Road nodded, her eyes shifting back and forth between the fight and her brother. "The weapons of the Exorcists."

The sound of more explosions ripped through the air and Road blew out a frustrated breath and rolled her eyes. "I can't believe all of them were destroyed. Pathetic. Well we have the information that we came for. Summon the entrance to the Ark."

Waving his hand and humming the lullaby softly to himself, Nicholas caused the gateway leading to the Ark to appear before them.

"You win this time Exorcists," Road said as she and Nicholas stepped through the doorway that would take them back inside Noah's Ark. "But soon our existence shall be revealed and you shall all perish."

A/N - here's another chapter and Nicholas is slowly gaining the knowledge of the Millennium Earl's plan. Hope that you enjoyed.


	10. Wanting Answers

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM

Chapter Ten - Wanting Answers

After the mission with Road in which he had encountered the Exorcists, Nicholas was determined to find out exactly what was going on. It was painfully obvious that he had been recruited for something specifically but no one had seen fit to tell him what exactly that something pertained to. He was still woefully in the dark about the plans of Lord Millennium but was now more determined than ever to find out what this so called master plan was.

Because it seemed to Nicholas that he was the only one who didn't know. And that was simply unacceptable as far as the Noah of Praise was concerned.

However the young Noah knew that he would have to be discreet with his questions since the other Noah, with the exception of Road, didn't entirely trust him. None of them had came out and said this to his face of course but Nicholas could tell by their actions. They all treated him differently, which went a long way toward telling the young man that he wasn't trusted.

Not that it really mattered a great deal to the newest member of the Clan of Noah. He was confident in his ability to gain the information that he sought without alerting the others to his intentions.

"So which of my hapless siblings can I convince to share this information that I'm obviously not supposed to know?" the Noah thought to himself as he made his way down a corridor. Nicholas thought about the various people who made up his rather dysfunctional family, wondering which one of them he could get the information out of without making them suspicious.

Because he didn't want them to inform Lord Millennium that he was asking questions.

With these thoughts occupying his mind the Musician made his way to the parlor. Opening the door he stepped inside and saw that Sophia was sitting in a chair, an open book held in her lap. Her attention seemed focused on the pages however it shifted as Nicholas stepped into the room. Hearing his entry the black haired Noah raised her gaze to meet his.

"Good evening Nicholas," Sophia said, her golden eyed gaze focusing on the newest member of the Clan of Noah. The member who Lord Millennium was convinced would be vital to their plans.

"Good evening," Nicholas said politely, making a decision in that moment. Walking across the room he bowed politely to his 'sibling' and then sat down in a chair beside her. Reaching over to the end table that was between the two chairs Nicholas produced a novel and flipped it open. The young man was acting as though this had been his plan all along; all the while biding his time.

Waiting.

"So Nicholas," Sophia said, her attention no longer focused on her book. Her gaze remained focused on the Noah of Praise; she was studying him. The boy was aware of this fact but pretended not to notice. "I heard that you went out on your first mission today." This was said in a casual tone but Nicholas got the impression that she was fishing for information.

Which the young man decided to use to his advantage. Mainly because he also wanted information. "I did. It was… illuminating to say the least."

"I imagine so," Sophia said, a small half smile appearing on her face. "Especially since your companion was Road. I don't envy you that position."

Nicholas chuckled softly, although it was wholly without amusement. It was true that he hadn't been with the Noah for long but the young man none the less got the impression that everyone found Road difficult to deal with to some degree. And he had to admit that he found it highly amusing. It was good to know that the girl annoyed the rest of them just as much as she annoyed he himself. "It wasn't so bad," the Noah of Praise said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "And I'm convinced that it could have been worse."

"Hmm…" Sophia's tone was thoughtful and her gaze shifted away from the young man. "So did you and Road encounter anything of interest?"

"Exorcists…" Nicholas let that one word hang there, in the hopes that Sophia would say something. And, despite the fact that she was the Noah of Wisdom, Sophia took the bait.

"Ooh I really hate those guys!" This comment once again caused Nicholas to think to himself that Sophia had multiple personalities but the young man didn't really have time to dwell on that fact at the moment. He was paying close attention to his 'sister', hoping that she would go on. And once again she did not disappoint. "I can't believe that Lord Millennium won't allow us to kill them yet. I think that it would be in our best interests to kill them all now but alas that isn't part of the plan at present." Sophia let out a long suffering sigh at this point. "Sometimes I really don't understand Lord Millennium but it's not really my place to question. Of course I'd really like to question cause I think that we need to kill the Exorcists and then we can track down the Innocence at our leisure but Lord Millennium seems to want to do things in reverse."

Nicholas could hardly believe the ranting that one word had caused but it had shed some light on his situation. So Lord Millennium was searching for some substance known as Innocence and these Exorcists were the enemy. That was something that he could work with. A smirk spread across his face as he continued to act as though he were only halfway paying attention to his sister.

At this point the Noah of Wisdom seemed to realize that she had gone off on a tangent. Glancing over toward her brother she was relieved to discover that he didn't really seem to be paying attention to her. His golden eyed gaze was focused intently on the open book that he was holding.

"I really should learn when to keep my mouth shut," Sophia thought to herself with a barely perceptible sigh. Determined to do a better job of keeping her temper in check the woman went back to her book.

"That was better than I could have hoped for," Nicholas thought to himself, his gaze focused on the pages of the book but not taking in any of the information. Every so often he would turn the page, so that he appeared to be casually reading, but it was all an act. "Note to self, Sophia rants whenever you bring up a touchy subject."

"Nicky-pet!"

Nicholas cringed as he heard the all too familiar voice calling out to him, using the nickname that he absolutely loathed. Turning his gaze toward the door the young Noah watched as Road bounded into the room, absently twirling an umbrella around her head. And said umbrella, or at least the pumpkin head at the tip, was screaming out it's protests of the situation quite loudly.

"Let me go, Lero!"

Completely ignoring the irate cries of Lero, Road bounded across the room and launched herself at Nicholas. The Noah of Praise barely had time to toss his book aside before the girl was in his lap. "I've asked you not to call me that," Nicholas said calmly, shoving the girl to the floor.

Completely unphased by Nicholas' actions, Road landed lightly on her feet and proceeded to gaze at her 'brother' petulantly. "You're not being very cooperative right now Nicky-pet."

"And you're being very irritating," Nicholas countered, his eyes narrowing at her choice to once again use the nickname. After he had reminded her for what had to be the millionth time that he disliked her use of it.

Road shrugged off this comment as well and proceeded to seize Nicholas by the cuff of his jacket. "Come on! Let's go and find something fun to do."

Nicholas was more than a little reluctant to follow this direction as he well remembered what had happened the last time that Road wanted to do something fun. He had ended up fighting his sister in a battle that had injured him physically as well as mentally. And the young man had absolutely no desire for a repeat performance although he was fairly certain that he could more than hold his own at this point. Because he had been working to master controlling the powers that he had been blessed with. Or cursed with depending on how you chose to look at it.

For his part Nicholas had yet to decide if it was curse or gift. Perhaps even a little bit of both.

"Come on, come on…" Road didn't like the hesitance on the part of her favorite brother and decided that he needed a little more 'persuasion'. So the young girl pointed the tip of the umbrella that she was carrying at Nicholas' face, as though that would persuade him to move faster. And complain less.

Of course it didn't work.

Nicholas did get to his feet, shoving the umbrella aside without a second glance. "Does Lord Millennium know that you swiped that again?"

"Doesn't matter," Road said with a shrug, happy that she finally had Nicholas on his feet.

"That translates into no," Nicholas said, shaking his head as the girl once again seized him by the cuff of his tuxedo jacket. He was smart enough to know that the only way to get her to leave him alone was to go along with whatever she had planned but it was really difficult for the Noah of Praise to resist the urge to go and hide out somewhere.

Because he really didn't want to deal with Road at the moment.

"Let's go already Nicky-pet." Road tugged on his tuxedo, which of course only served to further annoy the young man. Pulling his cuff free from her grasp Nicholas straightened his jacket.

"Fine," the young man said, deciding to relent. "I'll go with you so stop with the incessant pulling."

"Have fun Nicholas," Sophia called out, which brought a smile to Road's face but caused the Noah of Praise to scowl. He knew that she was only acting that way because she was grateful that it was him in this position and not her.

"Yay!" Road exclaimed, happy that she now had someone other than Lero to play with. While she did enjoy tormenting the umbrella that belonged to Lord Millennium, Road much preferred to tease her siblings. Their reactions were always so much better than the golem's. "This is going to be so much fun."

"As long as you don't intend to attempt to murder me again," Nicholas remarked as he followed the young girl from the room. Glancing over his shoulder he noticed that Sophia's gaze remained firmly locked onto him and Nicholas could only guess that she was regretting her little slip of the tongue. And hoping desperately that he hadn't been paying attention.

"I wouldn't have actually killed you," Road said, a somewhat sadistic grin spreading across her face as she turned to gaze at her brother. He was her favorite after all and she didn't want anything to happen to him. He was just too much fun. "I just wanted to see what you were capable of. And don't forget, I was doing that on the orders of Lord Millennium."

"Of course," Nicholas said, shaking his head. The Noah of Praise couldn't help but think that his entire surrogate family was out to destroy him.

"I need to discover what's going on," he thought to himself as he continued to follow Road down a corridor. "Then I can begin to make my own decisions. I don't want to blindly follow anyone. Ever again."

"You seem distracted," Road commented, absently swinging Lero around once again. "What's wrong?"

"Just wondering what kind of horrors you have in store for me," Nicholas lied with ease. A smirk spread across his face. "Because you know that you don't exactly have the same idea of fun as normal people."

"But Nicky-pet," Road said casually, offering him yet another somewhat sadistic smile. "You're not normal."

Nicholas thought about this statement for a couple of minutes before finally deciding that Road was indeed correct. Like the rest of his family Nicholas was about as far away from normal as it was possible to be. With a shrug of his shoulders the Noah of Praise began absently humming the tune that controlled the Ark as he followed along behind Road.

He would just have to wait and see what she had in store for him and, should it turn out to be a fight, then Nicholas was ready for it.

"From now on, I make decisions for myself only."

This was something that the young man vowed to do as he was tired of being expected to blindly follow the orders of others. Nicholas decided that he would find out exactly what was going on and then make a decision as to his involvement, or lack thereof. But he also decided that he would play the part of the loyal subordinate.

At least for the time being.

A/N - finally an update! Not sure if anyone's still reading this story but if so then I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Please be kind enough to leave a review and tell me what you thought.


	11. Still Searching

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM

Chapter Eleven - Still Searching

"This is going to be so much fun!"

The sing-songy tone of her voice annoyed the Musician but he followed along behind her none the less. He had other things on his mind, aside from playing this so called game that she seemed so intent upon, but those would just have to wait. For now he was virtually trapped and all but at the mercy of his sister.

"Must you be so enthusiastic?" the mahogany haired youth questioned, arching a brow as he followed along behind her. From previous experience he knew where they were going… and that he would soon be grateful for the fact that defense was his forte.

Because, despite her claims that he was her favorite, Road was ruthless.

"Of course," Road chimed, holding out her hand and happily summoning her door. This led to her own, private realm and was very familiar to all of her siblings though the Musician more so than most. "I get so bored after all… And you're so much fun to play with!"

"Just like a child's plaything," the young man thought ruefully, though he made it a point to keep this particular observation to himself. "That will end up broken and discarded."

"And the others don't cooperate," Road stated in a slightly petulant voice, a pout briefly forming on her lips as she thought of the others. They made excuses as to why they couldn't play her games… or else just outright chose to hide from her.

"You know," Nicholas said as he followed her through the door, absently reaching up and running a hand through his hair. "The others would be more inclined to play your games if you didn't try to kill them in the process."

"I would never hurt my siblings," Road maintained, sounding slightly hurt by his accusation. Turning violet eyes in his direction the young girl pouted. "They're of the Clan of Noah after all… it would take a lot for me to do permanent damage."

"At least of the physical kind," Nicholas muttered under his breath before deciding that it was best to just drop this subject. Speaking of it wasn't really accomplishing anything after all and the Noah of Praise merely wanted to get this so called game over with so that he could continue his investigation into this substance called Innocence and the Exorcists who were supposedly their enemies.

He had a plan of action… all that was left was to gain leave of his sister so that he could put that plan into action. Which of course was going to be easier said than done but Nicholas was fairly certain that he could succeed.

Arriving in Road's special domain, which always reminded Nicholas of a somewhat demented birthday party, the Noah girl turned toward her sibling. Shifting to her 'black' form a smile quickly spread across Road's face. Holding up her hands the Noah of Dreams summoned several of her candles without so much as a word of warning to her brother, the sharpened tips gleaming in the light.

"Ooh," Nicholas said, his tone somewhat taunting as he stared at her weapons, poised for attack and waiting to draw blood. He knew that this would anger her and make the game that much more intense but despite himself the young man couldn't resist. After all he at least deserved to gain some small measure of amusement from the situation. "Such a terrifying sight."

A sadistic smile spread across Road's face as she dropped her hands, sending the candles toward her sibling. "You should spend less time talking and more time running."

Nicholas shook his head, shifting to his Noah form as music seemed to fill the air. "You underestimate me," he said, using his powers to summon golden threads with which he bound the candles that she had launched toward him. This was a new trick that he had recently learned, much more functional than the barrier that he had previously employed.

"That isn't fair," Road exclaimed petulantly as she watched him toss her candles to the ground. Not a single one of them had made contact with his flesh and this fact irritated her to no end. She normally managed to at least scratch him with the first attack… in fact this had to be the first time that he had ever managed to fully block it.

"I disagree," the Musician said, this time using his golden threads to bind his sister. "I think that it is more than fair."

Road screeched as the ropes wrapped around her, pulling her arms against her sides and securing them in place. "What are you doing?"

"Don't get me wrong," Nicholas said, turning away from her as though to leave. "I enjoy your games immensely but I have other matters to attend to at present."

"You can't leave," Road said, smirking despite her current situation. It seemed that the Musician had forgotten that while they were in this space she ran the show. The door that they had entered through had vanished the moment that they had stepped out of it and only she herself had the powers necessary to summon another one. So he was trapped until she saw fit to release him.

Which she vowed wouldn't be anytime soon.

A smirk appeared on the face of the Noah of Praise. "That's what you think my dear sister." Holding out his right hand Nicholas summoned a doorway that she couldn't fail to recognize.

"The Ark?" Road sputtered, completely shocked that he had managed to find a way out of her domain. As well as the fact that he seemed to be able to harness the Ark's powers so effortlessly. "But how…"

"Not sure exactly," Nicholas said, taking a step toward the doorway. Of course he had already known that he could use the piano to control the Ark but the fact that he could summon the doorway without it's use was a new discovery. And one that Nicholas was finding incredibly useful.

"Wait Nicky-pet! You can't actually be planning to leave me like this…" Road's eyes were wide as she watched him preparing to leave. She was still bound by the golden threads and, not matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't seem to free herself.

"The threads will fade after I leave," Nicholas assured her as he continued toward the doorway. "You'll be free in no time… though not before I'm long gone. We'll resume our game later, I promise."

This said Nicholas stepped through the doorway, using the powers of the Ark to escape Road's little playhouse of doom. The sound of her screams filled the air before the doorway closed and Nicholas knew that she would truly be out for his blood after this. Road hated it when her siblings managed to get the best of her after all and wouldn't let this go unchallenged.

But her wrath was something that the Musician had decided to risk, owing to his desire to find answers for the questions that had arisen due to their mission. Using his control over the Ark, the young man made his way to a familiar farm in rural England. Stepping from the doorway and shifting back into his 'white' persona Nicholas quickly made his way toward the front door of the modest farmhouse.

"I'm not sure if he'll have any answers," Nicholas thought to himself as he reached a gloved hand out toward the door. "But it's worth a shot at least."

With this thought in mind the young man knocked lightly on the door, using his customary series of knocks. Leaving no doubt as to who it was at the door. "I hope that he's at home," Nicholas thought as he stepped back and waited for his brother to answer the familiar call.

It wasn't long before the door was wrenched open to reveal a startled looking Mana. "Nicholas," he exclaimed, pulling the younger male into an embrace. "It's good to see you but… um… what exactly are you doing here?" He had been led to believe that visits from his little brother would be few and far between and yet here the boy was standing on his doorstep.

"I have a few questions," Nicholas replied as he returned his brother's embrace. "I've made a few discoveries during my time with the other so called members of the Clan of Noah and nothing makes sense. They've inadvertently spilled a few secrets that I can't exactly ask them about directly so I thought I'd come to you. And I know it's a long shot but I was hoping that you might know something about it."

Seemingly taken aback by this confession from his brother, who rarely admitted to being confused about anything, Mana stepped back and gestured for the boy to enter the house. "I'm not sure how much help I'll be Nicky but I'll do the best I can."

Flinching at the nickname, which was far too similar to what Road often chose to call him, Nicholas stepped inside the house.

Closing the door once the younger male had entered the house Mana turned his attention once more to his little brother. "Let's go into the parlor and we'll talk."

Nodding Nicholas followed his brother into the familiar space. The old piano was still in the same position, the only difference that there was now sheet music resting on top of it. This brought a smile to Nicholas' face as he realized that Mana was still teaching himself to play. Walking by the piano Nicholas chose a seat on the worn sofa while Mana sat in an armchair that was positioned directly across from it.

"So what is it that you wanted to ask?" Mana questioned, interlacing his fingers as he stared into his brother's eyes.

"Have you ever heard of a substance known as Innocence?" Nicholas asked, thinking about Sophia's words and the secrets that she had inadvertently spilled. She hadn't given a hint to the purpose of finding it but had as much as said that the collection of this unknown substance was their plan.

Placing the tips of his fingers to his chin Mana gave the question a great deal of thought before he was finally forced to concede that he never had. "I'm afraid not Nicky."

Undeterred Nicholas moved on to the next topic of conversation, his hopes not having been completely dashed as of yet. Just because his brother hadn't heard of one didn't mean that he hadn't heard of the other. "How about a group of people known as Exorcists?"

"Well that could have any number of meanings," Mana said, having actually encountered this term. Unfortunately it had been used to describe several different things, which made it all but impossible to say for certain which type of Exorcist that his brother was seeking knowledge on. "But it sounds as though it should have something to do with the Church."

"Perhaps," Nicholas said, his voice reflecting the slight disappointment that he felt. He had hoped that his brother would be of more assistance. "Mana… can you do me a favor?"

The boy fully realized that, having abandoned his brother, he wasn't exactly in a position to ask for anything. And that Mana would have every right to refuse him. But, even knowing this, he was going to do it anyway and hope for the best.

"What is it Nicky?" Mana asked, more than a little surprised that Nicholas was asking him for anything. His little brother had always had an independent streak that was a mile long so this came as somewhat of a shock. Of course he would do all that was in his power to help the boy.

"Can you help me find information on these Exorcists and the Innocence?" There was an earnest expression in the younger male's eyes as he made this request of his brother. "I wouldn't ask but it's really important."

"Don't worry about it Nicky," Mana said, picking up on the fact that whatever it was this information seemed vitally important to his brother. "I'll do everything in my power to help you."

Nicholas offered his brother the ghost of a smile. "Thank you Mana. I owe you one."

Mana waved off the boy's words of gratitude. He didn't understand why the boy seemed surprised by his agreement to help. Nicholas was the only family that remained to him after all so of course he would do whatever he could to help him out. Even if he didn't completely understand the situation. "Don't worry about it boy. I'll see what I can find out."

Getting to his feet the mahogany haired youth offered Mana his hand. "I should probably go back… I don't know how safe it is for me to be here."

Rising at the same time as his brother Mana accepted the hand that the younger male held out to him. Grasping it firmly he nodded his head, offering Nicholas an encouraging smile. "Come back soon Nicholas and I'll see what kind of information I can dig up."

Nicholas nodded before leaving the home in which he had grown up… and the brother who had all but raised him.

A/N - Wow, nearly five months without an update. That's pretty pathetic and I apologize profusely. -bows- Hope that you enjoyed this chapter.


	12. The Magician's Research

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM

Chapter Twelve - The Magician's Research

After receiving a visit from his younger brother Mana Walker donned a dark cloak before leaving his simple farmhouse. Walking out to the stable the man quickly saddled his bay stallion, speaking quietly to the animal while he worked. Now if you asked the man later he wouldn't have been able to tell you exactly what it was that he said to the animal for his thoughts were squarely focused elsewhere. His mind kept replaying the scene that had played out between his brother and himself; going over and over the questions that Nicholas had posed to him.

Questions that he had been wholly unable to answer.

As the elder brother Mana wasn't used to Nicholas asking him questions that he wasn't able to answer but the truth of the matter was that he didn't have a clue. In much the same way that he had been clueless when those strange markings had appeared across his younger brother's forehead. These situations were very similar and most likely connected in some manner. Not that Mana would know. He had never before heard of this substance called Innocence, though of course the word its self was familiar. And then there was the matter of the people called Exorcists. Mana had come across this term many times in his studies but was fairly certain that the type of Exorcist that Nicholas was searching for was unlike any that he had knowledge of.

A fact that Mana was determined to change.

Once he had his stallion tacked up Mana swung himself into the saddle, taking a second to settle himself before taking up the reins and directing the animal out into the stable yard. The bay seemed more than willing to be off, prancing around for a moment before setting off at a brisk trot. The cloak billowed out behind as Mana rode, his destination clear in his mind. This was a place that he tried his best not to visit often, as it would raise questions that he didn't want to answer should anyone from the village see him. But desperate times called for desperate measures as they say and there wasn't anything that Mana wouldn't do for his brother.

No risk that he wouldn't take.

"_**You're going to regret this steadfast loyalty Mana Walker… it's going to come back to haunt you some day."**_

Pulling back sharply on the reins Mana brought his horse to a stop, gazing around even though he knew that no one was around. It was as though he had heard those words echoing through his mind; as though from a ghost. Tossing his head in protest of the abrupt halt, the bay stallion snorted in displeasure. "Sorry fella," Mana said quietly, patting the horse on the neck a couple of times before continuing on his way. He was slightly put off by the strange words ringing in his mind, running in an endless loop in his mind, but shrugged off these feelings of unease. He hadn't gotten a lot of sleep the night before and blamed that for his hallucination.

"It's nothing," he told himself as he scanned the landscape that was flashing past. The scenery was familiar, from previous trips to this particular location. A forbidding place flanked on three sides by tall and ancient trees. And on the forth side, a mountain, into the face of which was carved the very building that he sought. With the longevity of the very rock that it was carved into the building had been around for centuries.

Or so it was told.

Very few knew of it's existence and those who did guarded this secret most zealously. Outsiders were strictly forbidden unless vouched for by one of the elders; and even then it took years if not decades to earn their trust. Mana was fairly certain that he hadn't reached that point as of yet but this was of no consequence. He didn't need the trust of the people in charge, merely access to the library that was housed behind huge granite doors. Inside were books that normal people didn't have access to and Mana was hoping that he would find something concerning Innocence amongst their pages.

That was the plan at any rate.

As he neared the location Mana slowed his horse to a walk, raising the hood of his cloak as he did so. This was more for his protection than anything else; a means of shielding his identity from any unwanted and prying eyes. Not that he really thought anyone would be around from the village but he had been taught precaution and followed that particular lesson to the letter. The people who lived in the village near his farm were notoriously narrow minded and he didn't want to be the subject of any witch hunts from people who didn't understand the fine art of magic. Far from witchcraft it was more of a science but good luck explaining such things to those imbeciles.

Reaching the tree lined path that would lead to the front door Mana dismounted, looping the reins around the saddle so that they wouldn't get caught on anything before turning the horse loose. The bay stallion was incredibly well trained and Mana knew that he would return when he was called for. After watching the horse trot off Mana made his way down the path, his cloak billowing out behind him as he walked. He strode up to the front door with a purposeful air about him, a determined look in his brown eyes. These people could sense fear and, in much the same way as with wild animals, were prone to attack when they sensed weakness.

As he drew closer two guards appeared as though out of nowhere, narrowing their eyes simultaneously. There was a threatening air about them but Mana merely strode up to them, a defiant gleam appearing in his eyes as he spoke the pass phrase, in a language that was very different from his native tongue. Which made him grateful that he and Nicholas had studied languages extensively as this made it much easier to roll the foreign words off his tongue.

The guards regarded him for a few moments after he gave the pass phrase, as though still hesitant to allow him entrance. Mana held his ground however and refused to back down, knowing that they had no choice other than to allow him admittance. He had given the code flawlessly and, grudgingly, the men pushed the heavy stone doors open and stepped aside. Inclining his head to them ever so slightly Mana strode past, entering the building as though he owned the place. This air of confidence all but assured that none of the other people inside would bother him.

Or so he thought.

Walking quickly through the main room Mana entered into the corridor that would lead him to the massive library that was housed within the building. This was the entire purpose for this visit and he wanted to get started with his research as soon as possible. Knowing that with the vast volume of books it was likely to take days and even then there was no guarantee that he would actually find anything. Such was the risk one took when searching through this particular library for information. It was like gambling, only with worse odds.

"This is going to take forever," Mana grumbled as he went to work.

It wasn't that he wasn't willing to put in the effort required to do this research; it was just that he had no idea where to start or even exactly what he was looking for. All he had were a couple of vague clues to work with and a mountain of books in which to search. A daunting task for anyone, no matter their resolve.

* * *

Twelve hours later Mana's eyes were burning from too much time spent reading miniscule print and he was ready to bash his head into the nearest wall. He'd been pouring over book after book and hadn't even found a trace of the substance known as Innocence. A couple of the books had referenced Exorcists but Mana was fairly certain that the context was wrong for what he was looking for. Groaning he placed his head on his folded arms, closing his eyes in an effort to alleviate some of the burning. He desperately needed and wanted sleep but that simply wasn't an option at the moment. Not when he hadn't made any progress what so ever in his search.

Mana remained in this position for a few moments, enjoying the feeling of actually being able to close his eyes for longer than a millisecond, but this peace was shattered by the sound of the library door creaking open.

Someone really needed to oil the hinges or something, Mana couldn't keep himself from thinking as his head whipped up and he turned around to see who it was who had entered the room. After all the hour had to be late which was what had led Mana to believe that he was safe from interruption in the first place. Books lay strewn about the table where he had taken up residency so many hours earlier. The intruder, as it turned out, was someone around Mana's own age or perhaps a year or two older. He had seen the guy around a few times but hadn't really ever spoken to him. His flaming red hair reached down to his shoulders and partially obscured calculating red eyes.

"I didn't know anyone was here," the red haired young man said gruffly, sitting down at the table that was located to the right of the one that Mana occupied. He didn't sound apologetic; on the contrary he seemed almost slightly put off at Mana's presence.

"Well I didn't expect anyone else to come in here this late either," Mana stated calmly, ignoring the red head's harsh tone. His gaze briefly flitted over the man, noting the strange silver crest that adorned his jacket, before returning to his book. Skimming through it at a pace no normal person could ever hope to achieve Mana closed it with a sigh.

Nothing.

Not even so much as a hint of either of the two subjects that he sought information on. Unable to resist the urge this time Mana allowed himself to fall forward and smacked his head against the table, hitting his forehead on the wood hard enough to make an audible 'thud'. This didn't really serve to alleviate any of his pent up frustrations so the teen raised his head and once again allowed it to fall, with much the same results as the previous time.

Glancing over the red haired man regarded him as though he had completely lost his mind. "If you're trying to commit suicide there are much less painful ways of going about it."

"That's not it," Mana said as he once again raised his head, heaving an audible sigh as he did so. This time he refrained from causing himself further brain damage however and, reaching over, he pulled yet another huge book toward him. He was completely exhausted by this point but was none the less determined to continue on with his research. Nicholas had asked for his help and he was determined to do whatever he could to gain the knowledge that his younger brother sought.

"_**Beware of unbridled loyalty… it will be the death of you."**_

As the strange voice once again echoed through his mind Mana's eyes widened and he gazed around as though he had caught a glimpse of a ghost and was attempting to track it's non existent movements. This was the second time that such a cryptic message had echoed through his mind and it was growing more and more difficult to merely shrug it off as a hallucination.

"Then what?" the red head questioned, one eye brow arched. "Because you look like you could fall off the deep end at any moment. And trust me, if you go psycho here then I will be forced to kick your ass."

"I'll keep that in mind," Mana said as he skimmed through the book, not sounding even remotely concerned by the threat. He'd never been one for violence but that didn't meant that he couldn't hold his own when necessity called for it. Completely ignoring the question that had been posed to him by the red haired man he continued to skim through the book, grateful for his uncanny ability to read at an unnatural speed. It was the only reason that he had managed to get through the huge number of books that he had read that night. If he were normal this would have taken much longer. This thought was brought to an abrupt halt as he suddenly came across the term 'Innocence' and the word was capitalized as though it were something important. Marking the page with his fingers Mana partially closed the book so that he could see the front cover, which he hadn't even paid any attention to in the beginning.

It was marked with the same strange symbol that adorned the red haired man's jacket.

"Strange," he thought to himself as he marked the page and stowed the book under his arm. Refusing to relinquish his hold on the book, for fear of it getting mixed up with the others, Mana kept it under his arm as he quickly replaced the other books that he had been searching through. Then, when that task was complete, he marked down in the ledger which book it was that he had taken and departed the library. He wanted to read this particular book in privacy and was thus determined to travel somewhere where he wouldn't be disturbed.

Watching the other teen with keen interest the red head got to his feet immediately after Mana's departure; making his way over to the ledger he casually glanced down so that he could see which book it was that the man had taken.

"Shit," he snarled under his breath, dashing from the room without even bothering to put away the two books that he had been reading.

A/N - End of another chapter, hope that you enjoyed. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story, as well as those who added it to their Favorite/Alert lists. You're all wonderful.


	13. Forbidden Knowledge

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM

Chapter Thirteen - Forbidden Knowledge

After finding the book that referenced the substance known as Innocence, Mana quickly left the library, pulling his hood up over his head as he walked. He desperately wanted to read the book, wanted to find out as much as he possibly could about the Innocence, but instinctively knew that this wasn't the best place to do that. He needed solitude before he could read so, with this thought in mind, he left the headquarters completely. The guards regarded him casually as he exited and Mana inclined his head to them as he made his way down the barely noticeable path that led into the forest. His outward appearance was calm but his heart was pounding and his palms had began to sweat.

There was something about this book that set him on edge but Mana couldn't put his finger on exactly why that was. After all it was only an ordinary book.

"This is strange," Mana thought to himself as his gaze shifted down to the book that he still held tucked beneath his arm.

"_**Beware the knowledge that you seek…"**_

Pausing in his forward progress Mana blinked his eyes a couple of times… wondering if he had once again imagined the voice that seemed to echo in his head. This wasn't the first time that it had happened and he was finding it more and more difficult to explain it away as a mere trick of his imagination. "Things just keep getting stranger and stranger," the young man thought to himself as he once again began walking. "But none of it matters really… I have to find a nice, quiet place to read."

So intent on finding a secluded place in which to read the book, Mana didn't even notice the figure that was following along behind him. The slightly older male kept himself at a safe distance, piercing red eyes focused on the young man who was slipping through the forest, the large leather bound book held under one arm.

"I can't believe that someone left a book like that here of all places," the red haired man snarled under his breath as he followed along Mana, keeping his distance in an effort to avoid detection. The idiocy of some people was just beyond belief and, if he had even the slightest idea of who it was that had made such a blundering error in judgment, he would track them down and delight in causing them grave bodily harm. Of course even reveling in such fantasies would have to wait until he had a free moment. Currently he was beyond busy. He knew that he had to retrieve the book, before the guy read anymore of the contents, but also knew that he had to time the encounter carefully. Because if he made his move somewhere close then the chances were great that someone would overhear and come to interfere.

Which would be annoying as hell.

"So fucking annoying…"

The hairs on the back of Mana's neck prickled and the man paused, turning around in a circle and gazing around. Nothing met his searching gaze and, with a shrug, the man continued on his way. He couldn't seem to shake the feeling that he was being watched but with nothing to back up this suspicion he decided to go on about his business.

Growling low in his throat in annoyance the red haired man slowly gazed around the tree behind which he had ducked when the guy he was following came to a halt. He wasn't used to tracking people who were actually observant of their surroundings so this presented a new set of challenges.

* * *

Finally, after putting a suitable amount of distance between himself and the granite structure, Mana arrived at a small clearing in the forest. He wasn't familiar with the area but that was of little consequence to the man at this given moment in time. All that mattered was that he had solitude in which to scan the pages of the book that he had found in the library.

The book that told of a substance called Innocence.

Unfortunately his solitude was soon to be interrupted. Mana had no more than sat down on the ground and spread the book open before him than he heard the sound of someone moving through the underbrush of the forest. Quickly snapping the book shut he gazed around through wary brown eyes, searching for the source of the noise. He knew that whatever was causing it had to be fairly large and his senses were on full alert.

"Ugh," an annoyed voice snarled as the red haired man from before stepped into the clearing, brushing several stray branches from his clothes. Dressed in a black coat that was trimmed in white he made for an intimidating sight, standing at the edge of the forest. "Was the damned nature hike really necessary?" he demanded as his piercing red gaze focused on Mana.

The hike had been far from an enjoyable experience.

Pushing back his hood Mana arched one brow as he gazed at the red head. The other male looked indignant and for whatever reason that struck Mana as funny. Shaking his head he chuckled softly to himself as he regarded the man calmly. "I didn't exactly have your comfort in mind when I started out," he stated mildly.

"Obviously," the red head retorted.

"So exactly what is it that you want?" Mana questioned, gazing up through wary and slightly confused brown eyes. He was a little annoyed that he had been followed, since solitude had been the whole point of this trek out into the middle of nowhere, and did nothing to hide this irritation from his unwelcome visitor. Not that this irritation was solely focused on the red haired boy… at least part of the blame rested on Mana's shoulders and he fully realized this.

If he had been more vigilant then this wouldn't have happened.

The red haired man gestured toward the book that was lying on the ground in front of Mana. "I came for the book… give it to me and I'll be on my way. Believe me, I don't want to be here any more than you want me here… probably less so actually."

Reaching forward Mana snatched up the book before the red haired man made any attempt to seize it, knowing that this was a likely action for him to take. This was the only book that he had been able to find that spoke of the substance known as Innocence and he had absolutely no intentions of giving it up. Mana hadn't been able to read enough of it to find out if it also spoke of the Exorcists that his brother had mentioned but, even if it didn't, the book still held value. And he wasn't about to just hand it over. He had worked too hard to find it to simply hand it over because someone that he didn't even know demanded it of him. "I think not."

The red head sighed, reaching up and running one hand through his long hair. He had really been hoping that this would be easier… as much as he enjoyed a good fight this other guy didn't look like he would stand much of a chance. And it just seemed kind of wrong to beat up on the weak, though he wasn't above doing so if it proved necessary. "And here I was hoping that you'd hand it over without a fight…" As he said this the man's eyes suddenly narrowed in anger and an instant later he was sweeping one side of his long coat aside to revealing a rather large firearm that he was wearing holstered at his side.

Mana's eyes widened and he quickly scrambled to his feet., unable to believe what he was seeing. "Whoa, whoa… wait a minute…" He could tell that the other male was irritable by nature but he had never even dreamed that he would resort to this level of violence. Apparently an egregious error in judgment on his part. "Can't we just…"

"Get out of the way," the red haired man snarled as he drew the weapon in one rapid movement.

It was one the tip of Mana's tongue to ask exactly what the man's problem was but this question died on his lips as another man suddenly emerged from the bushes a few feet behind the spot where he was standing. He was older than both Mana and the red haired youth and had a decidedly irritated expression on his face as well. Without so much as a word the red head leveled the gun at the man's head, his finger poised on the trigger.

"What are you doing you red headed fool?" Mana asked as he quickly got out of the line of fire. He would have made an attempt to help the poor guy who had stumbled into the middle of this fight but his self preservation instincts had emerged in full force. It seemed fairly obvious to him that this guy had completely lost his mind and he didn't want to risk getting struck by a stray bullet or anything like that.

"Killing a damn Akuma," the red head snarled in response. He had been somewhat distracted by the outburst from the other male which caused him to hesitate in his attack. This gave the creature time to make the first move and his eyes immediately shifted back as he heard the tell tale noises that signified the beast was transforming into it's true form. He watched through calculating eyes as the creature shed it's human skin in favor of it's true, mechanical form. This was just a level one and would be easy to dispose of. He heard the sound of clicking as several guns were pointed in his direction.

Mana jumped back, the sight that met his eyes something that he had never before seen. The apparent human had transformed its self into some kind of… thing. That was the only way the brown haired youth knew to describe it.

"Die," the red haired young man snarled as he pulled the trigger on the large firearm that he held. The creature dodged the bullet, turning it's own guns in the direction of his foe. A smirk spread across his face as he watched the Akuma, waiting for the inevitable. Within only a matter of seconds the Akuma was struck by the bullet, which had whirled around and found it's target. "My bullets never miss," the red head stated as he sheathed his gun before turning back in the direction that Mana had been standing.

Only to find him gone.

"Son of a bitch!" he growled as he gazed around in search of the other male. While he had been occupied dealing with the Akuma Mana seemed to have deemed this an appropriate time to make a break for it.

Thus further increasing the irritation level of his pursuer… something that wouldn't have seemed possible to the casual observer.

* * *

Having fled the scene before the gunfire Mana winced as he heard the sound but he didn't so much as look back. He didn't want anything to do with the red haired man or the strange creature that had appeared in the guise of a human. "All of this over a book," he muttered to himself, his gaze shifting down to gaze at the leather bound tome.

"If it's such a pain in the ass then just hand it over…"

Glancing up Mana was shocked to find the red haired male standing in the path in front of him. He hadn't even heard the guy this time around so how in the world had he managed to get in front of him? "But I… How did you…"

"Lots of practice," the other stated in a matter of fact tone, his piercing red eyes focused on Mana. He held out one hand expectantly. "Now just hand over the book to me and you can get on with your life."

"I can't," Mana said, holding the book to his chest possessively. Truth be told he would like nothing better than to hand the book over and go back to being a semi-normal individual but he had made a promise. One that he intended to keep. "I promised my younger brother that I'd find out about the Innocence… and the Exorcists."

The red head's eyes narrowed at this point, not having expected to hear these words. He was instantly on guard. "What do you know of Exorcists?" he demanded.

"Not a damn thing," Mana stated, his frustration and irritation over the entire ordeal causing him to swear… something that he would normally never dream of doing. "My brother asked me to look into the subject after he came across the term… something to do with the whole Clan of Noah or something."

A gleam appeared in the other male's eyes, which effectively told Mana that he'd said too much. Looking wary he took a couple of steps back, still clutching the book to his chest.

Some of the harshness left the red haired youth's eyes as he realized that this guy really didn't know what he had gotten himself involved in. Shaking his head he massaged his temples for a few brief moments before sighing. "I think that you and I need to have a little chat. There are a few things that you need to know… before you end up getting yourself killed."

A/N - End of another chapter, hope that you enjoyed. And thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter, it was greatly appreciated. Until the next time, I'm out.


	14. Truth Revealed

Disclaimer - I do not own DGM

Chapter Fourteen - Truth Revealed

Mana blinked a couple of times as he heard these words. He was completely shocked by the red head's abrupt change in demeanor and made no attempt to hide this fact from the man. He was too busy trying to figure out what had caused this change in the man, who until now had seemed intent on gaining possession of the book and being on his way. So why exactly had that changed? "Why would you say such a thing?"

"Because I'm familiar with the Clan of Noah," he replied in a gruff voice, gesturing toward a fallen log that was positioned beside the path. It was clear that he wanted Mana to sit down on the log so that the two of them could have a frank discussion about what was going on. "And they're dangerous…"

His curiosity piqued Mana moved over to the fallen log that the man had gestured toward, sitting down and clutching the book to his chest in a protective manner. He couldn't help but think that this might be a trap, meant to decrease his guard so that the red head could steal the book and Mana resolved to protect against this. "What's so dangerous about them?"

Granted Mana wasn't familiar with any of the others, only knowing exactly how many of them there were because his brother had mentioned being an 'extra', but he knew that his brother didn't pose a threat and so was finding it hard to believe that the others did.

"First off you should know that this substance known as Innocence that you seem so determined to find information on is a weapon," the red head stated. Walking over to the log he sat down on the end opposite Mana, making an attempt to lessen the threat that he posed so that the guy would just relax already. Because the fact that he was always on guard, while the smart thing to do, was actually causing his irritation over the situation to increase. He hadn't made any threatening moves toward the man, aside from demanding the book, so there really was no need for the level of caution that Mana was exhibiting. "Name's Cross by the way and I have intimate knowledge about both the Innocence and the Exorcists."

Mana's gaze went to the strange crest that was on the man's jacket and, putting two and two together, surmised that this strange man who had introduced himself as Cross was, in actuality, one of the Exorcists. "You're one of them, aren't you?"

"So you're not a complete idiot," Cross muttered, gazing over at the brown haired teen who was sitting on the other end of the log. Judging by the tone of his voice it was obvious that the red head was finding this fact somewhat hard to believe. He was, after all, accustomed to dealing with idiots and was having a bit of difficulty adjusting his manner to the fact that this guy actually seemed to be in possession of at least half a brain. "I am one of the Exorcists, belonging to an organization known as the Black Order."

Strictly speaking this was the truth. He did technically belong to the Black Order, though he had made it his habit to ignore their orders most of the time. Because, with the exception of a few members, they were also a bunch of idiots.

"Black Order?" Mana repeated, not familiar with the organization that Cross claimed affiliation with. Not that this was all that surprising since he seemed to be learning about all kinds of things that were previously outside his range of knowledge as of recently. "Never heard of them."

"Not surprising," Cross said, nodding his head curtly. He had already surmised that this guy didn't know anything about the Order or he wouldn't have had so many damn questions. And likely wouldn't have needed the book that should never have been written in the first place. "They tend to try to keep themselves anonymous. But since you stumbled across that damnable book I guess I'll have to explain things to you… before you get your fool self killed."

"You keep saying that," Mana retorted, his brown eyed gaze focused on the Exorcist. He vividly recalled the fact that the red head was in possession of a rather large firearm that he didn't seem to have any reserve whatsoever in using. "But as of yet you're the only one who's posed a threat to me so why should I believe you?"

"I didn't threaten you," Cross snapped, knowing exactly what Mana was referring to. "I saved your life from a damn Akuma."

Yet another term that Mana was unfamiliar with.

"Akuma?" he repeated, blinking a couple of times in confusion. He was beginning to think that never again would he be able to have a normal conversation in which he knew all the words that were being used. "And what, pray tell, is an Akuma?"

"They're living weapons fashioned by the Millennium Earl," the Exorcist replied calmly, knowing that this was going to sound even more far fetched but, since the guy's brother was a Noah, maybe he'd be a little more likely to believe it. "The fat ass that your brother now works for… assuming he's the one who is the member of the Clan of Noah."

Mana's thoughts briefly shifted to his brother before he forced them back to the topic at hand. He had sought out answers to the questions that Nicholas had posed to him and now was the perfect opportunity to attempt to gain those answers. He would reserve judgment on everything until he had a chance to get both sides of the story. "Nicholas is indeed a member of the Clan of Noah," Mana said calmly, going by what his brother had told him. Since it wasn't as though he had any way to either confirm or discredit this claim. "And he's the one who asked me to look into the terms 'Innocence' and 'Exorcist' for him."

Now it was Cross' turn to look incredulous. "Why the hell would a Noah need someone else to find out about these things for him? He should already know about them and, if he doesn't, then all he has to do is ask the fat ass for details."

"From what I gather Nicholas isn't entirely trusted among their ranks," Mana replied, having a fairly good idea as to why his brother hadn't just come out and asked the others that he was staying with for the information that he sought. "He's a new arrival after all though this isn't the only reason for their lack of trust as far as he's concerned. According to him, he's an extra member of his family. Fourteenth where before there were always only thirteen. So they aren't quite sure what to make of him as of yet."

To the uninitiated observer it would appear as though Mana were telling this man everything there was to know about his brother and the situation that he was in but that wasn't the case. There were key pieces of the puzzle that he was choosing to keep to himself, on the off chance that this man did pose a threat to either of them. One of these pieces was the existence of Noah's Ark and Nicholas' ability to control it. That was something that the red head simply didn't need to know about as far as Mana was concerned.

"Is that a fact?" Cross said, a calculating look appearing in his one visible red eye. This was something unexpected and perhaps something that could be used to his advantage. If the Earl had a member of his group who was being kept in the dark about the entire truth then perhaps he could be persuaded to switch sides. "That's very interesting."

For his part Mana didn't really like the look that had appeared on the man's face. "What are you plotting?" he asked, his voice cautious as he gazed at the self proclaimed Exorcist.

"A way to save your brother," Cross replied without so much as flinching. It was a lie; he couldn't care less what happened to the brat but at the same time knew that he could prove useful. "He's on the wrong side in this war and that puts him in danger."

Mana held a thoughtful expression on his face for a moment, taking in everything that Cross had said. Then he tilted his head slightly to one side, recalling an earlier part of their conversation. "You mentioned that the Innocence is a weapon… were you serious about that?"

Nodding his head curtly Cross once again drew the large firearm that he wore in a holster at his side. Holding up the gun he said, "There are two types of Anti-Akuma weapon… equipment type and parasitic type. The first is the one I wield, Innocence whose from has been changed into a usable weapon. The second refers to those who actually house Innocence within their own bodies and can use that as a weapon."

Mana nodded his head, showing that he'd heard, as he tried to piece together the clues that would unravel this mystery that his brother had brought to his attention. "So why would the Clan of Noah be searching for the Innocence? Can they use these weapons in the war?"

"No," Cross growled, shaking his head. "The Innocence is a weapon provided by God and can only be wielded by his chosen. Not that the Noah really need this power, they have powers of their own. The fat ass Earl is seeking out the Innocence to destroy it because it is the only substance that can be used to destroy him and his minions."

Mana wasn't exactly sure how much of this story he believe but the one fact that seemed inescapable was that this red haired man and his brother were on opposite sides of a secret war. This knowledge only served to put him back on edge around the man, scared that he might inadvertently lead the Exorcist to his brother… something that he definitely didn't want to be responsible for. "Well thanks for the lesson," Mana said, getting to his feet and gazing down at Cross through cautious brown eyes. "It's been highly instructive but I really should be going."

And, without giving the Exorcist the chance to make an attempt at stopping him, Mana gave a sharp whistle. Mere seconds passed and then the sound of hoof beats could be heard echoing down the path. Reaching up Mana seized hold of his horse's mane, hoisting himself into the saddle at the same moment that Cross jumped to his feet.

"Hey!" the Exorcist yelled as the horse galloped down the path. Not only was Mana making a break for it but he still had the book, a fact that caused the red head to become decidedly irritated. "Get your ass back here!"

"Can't do that!" Mana threw back over his shoulder as the horse galloped away. "Nothing personal but I don't exactly trust you."

"Damn it!" Cross swore foully as he watched the teen disappear around a corner. Not only had he managed to escape but he'd taken the damn book with him. The loss of that only served to further his anger over the situation and he actually had to resist the urge to shoot the guy. "Can't believe I fucking let that happen…"

Knowing that he was going to have to track the man down the red haired Exorcist continued to mutter various profanities under his breath as he began walking down the dirt path. He wasn't really in a tremendous hurry, well aware of the fact that he would be able to track Mana with little effort. He had been studying magic for quite some time after all and had a spell that would work wonders as far as that was concerned.

"He'd best hope it takes me awhile to track his ass down," Cross snarled as he walked, reaching into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulling out a cigarette. Sticking it into his mouth Cross struck a match and lit the end before taking a deep and appreciative draw. Exhaling the smoke his single visible eye seemed to flash malevolently. "Or I may just be tempted to kill him."

Once he had gotten what he thought to be a safe distance away Mana pulled back on the reins slightly, slowing his mount's pace to that of a trot. Breathing quickly the teen gazed around, taking in his surroundings and assuring himself that the red haired Exorcist wasn't going to suddenly pop out of nowhere again.

Because if that happened this time then he was all out of options.

Thankfully there didn't seem to be any sign of the man and, after a few moments, Mana heaved a sigh of relief. "That was close… now to return home and read this book. Maybe it'll tell me just how much of that man's words were the truth."

Then he would better know what information, if any, he would give to his brother.

With this thought in mind Mana turned his horse in the direction of home, allowing the stallion to have a free rein. Taking this as his cue the horse began to canter, anxious to return home to his nice warm stall.

A/N - end of another chapter, hope that you enjoyed. Despite the fact that we now know what the 14th's name actually is for the purposes of this fic I'm sticking with the one that I chose.


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